Moonlight
by LittleMaggie
Summary: Hermione doubts she will ever find anyone. When a club at Hogwarts finds each student a match, many misunderstandings pit her against her partner.epilouge, but it's more of my idea of how HP ends, because the fic is actually over. a story within a story.
1. When the stars are out

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Author's Note: After leaving readers disappointed because of "The Punishment", I'm posting a righteous Hermione/Harry fiction that I was planning for a while now. Enjoy!

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Setting: Hogwarts, Harry and Hermione's sixth year.

Time: Winter break.

…::_Moonlight_::…

Hermione hated the bitterness of the wind in the winter. It would sting right to the bone, chill her warm tea in the morning, and leave behind a mess of papers it scattered. She felt it was too much of Dumbledore to require the students to remain in school for winter break. Only a few, whom prepaid and scheduled vacations, were allowed to leave. Dumbledore had a wonderful idea for Hogwarts – Yuletide Friends Club. He coined the phrase, most likely, overnight, and now it became an all-powerful, huge, super-big deal.

_Well, I personally couldn't give a care,_ Hermione assured herself in her mind, _and I'm too busy with my studies to take advantage of the Club._

Yuletide Friends Club worked in such a way that the Sorting Hat would pick out random couples through the students, searching mainly through compatibility. These picked couples were sent on a date of sorts to see if they could strike up a friendship, or even a romance. Chances were, Hermione would get paired with a boy. Yet, she hoped that some girl, alike to her, would be paired with her. Then she wouldn't have to embarrass herself, for she knew no boy would be romantically interested in her.

_Book worm._ _Teacher's pet. Go home and study._ Hateful taunts and cruel words echoed in her mind. She pushed them away with a new thought: _Must get my essay written! Snape won't be tolerant if I give my paper in late!_

Some people already found out their pairs by begging Dumbledore into releasing some information. Ginny was immediately paired with a close girlfriend of hers and they planned to go to Hogsmeade for butter beer, where they could find some nice boys for a double date. Hermione could have bet that Harry and Ron would also end up being paired for Yuletide Friends Club. A lot of people would get surprise partners, though. Lavender was paired with Draco Malfoy, which was surely a mistake or some sort. Or maybe they did have something in common – a favorite book or color?

_Silly to bother myself with this Yuletide Friends garbage, _Hermione's mind buzzed. Yet, her heart insisted to surface the strange fluttering feeling of being paired with a boy. Maybe finally some boy would emerge from the crowd of Hogwarts students, so alike with her that they'd fall for one another immediately. No such boy seemed to come into mind for Hermione, however.

*

The assembly the next morning was truly an awful mess. Hundreds of misplaced students rummaged through a few parchments listing all the chosen pairs. Groans and cheers ran amok from the mouths of students. Some swore in the foulest of ways, others seemed to weep in joy, and then a very few had already taken the hand of their chosen partner and sat down at a table of their choice.

Hermione ducked under some girl's swinging hand and then grasped a tattered paper to read the names off. She got the P list, and was about to put it down, when she realized she should check whom Harry was pared with. Her eyes scanned down the list of names and found **Potter, Harry**. She traced her finger to the other side, but just as she readied to read the matching name, someone jerked the paper from her.

Padma Patil exclaimed: " There it is! Parvati, come here, I found the P's!"

They both crowed over their picked partners and Hermione sulked away, trying to glimpse a few other sheets over people's shoulders. The D's, the Q's, the K's… 

Suddenly, Dumbledore's booming voice sliced the noise in two. A stunned silence followed as he spoke: " It has gotten far too noisy for my liking; I would like everyone to sit down so that we can begin breakfast. Those that haven't found their partners, see me after breakfast."

_Oh great, why did I have to be singled out?_ Hermione wondered, miserably, as at least ninety percent of the population of Hogwarts sat down at a table with a chosen partner. She found a small empty spot at one of the two tables that were up against the wall of the dining hall and then sat in silence as everyone else clamored and exclaimed about Yuletide Friends Club.

_I wish I could go home…_ she thought, and the painful stinging in her stomach verified the truthfulness of her words.

*

Hermione approached Dumbledore once the dining hall was emptied of students. A few others, also without partners, made their way towards their headmaster. Dumbledore stroked his long beard for a few minutes and then said: " Well! Seems that I should have made more then one copy of the list!" He took out an ancient-looking wand and then tapped it slightly on the table. The complete list appeared before them.

As Hermione searched for her name, she felt a tap to her shoulder. Harry stood behind her, his green eyes questioning. 

" Hi, Harry." Hermione said, glad that she found a friendly face.

" Hey. Can you believe it? Just as I managed to get Parvati to let go of the list, it disappeared in my hands. Too bad that Dumbledore didn't wait just two more seconds." Harry leaned forwards. " Is that the G's? Well, I'll just go look for…"

" Wait." Hermione pointed at her name, then moved her nail across the parchment to the other side. **Granger, Hermione______________________Potter, Harry.**

_Oh, thank heavens I'm with a friend!_ A relieved look crossed her face. She turned to him and exclaimed: " Guess we're together, Harry. Where do you want to go?"

A very slight red tint filled Harry's cheeks. He glanced at the paper again to be sure. " I… I don't know. Some nice restaurant?" He grinned.

" Uh, you're kidding me, aren't you? No need to spend money on me. We'll go on one little date, someplace cheap. Maybe we can check out the joke shop in Hogsmeade. That's always fun." Hermione's face, completely devoid of any hope of a romantic relationship, studied the lipid pools of green that were Harry's eyes. " You look upset."

" No, no, don't get me wrong." Harry shook his head. " The joke shop sounds perfectly fine to me." He tried a grin. He seemed to be incredibly taken aback, though.

_No wonder, nobody wants to be paired with me. All I do is study. I'm not even pretty._ Hermione's chin quivered very slightly and she faked a laugh. " Don't worry, I'll be studying most of winter break. You're free to hang out with anyone you like after the required date is over."

Harry grinned lopsidedly right back. " Sure." Something wasn't right, though.

_He doesn't even want that one date. Poor Harry, I bet he wishes he got Cho. She'd probably know the best places to hit for the dating scene._ Hermione turned her back to Harry so she could place the paper down on the desk. She hoped he didn't see the sudden wave of tears in her eyes. _He doesn't want this date. I won't be a dead weight to him, then. I want Harry to be happy, even if it's not with me._ Very carefully, she turned back, keeping her eyes down to avoid having him see the glossiness of her eyes. 

" Let's go." She held out her hand to him, then wavered halfway there and put her hand flat at her side like a soldier. _Now I wish I got a stranger for a partner. At least then it wouldn't hurt as much._

Author's note: Poor Hermione… a lot of misunderstandings there.


	2. And the moon is bright

A/N: Now that the review function seems to have mysteriously begun to work again, I hope to see a few reviews for this story.

..::Chapter 2::..

Hermione woke up grasping at something, though she didn't know what it truly was. Her hands were tightly wrapped around her down pillow as her eyes snapped open to take in the bleary image of a bleak-faced dawn cascading through the window by her bed. She pulled back the covers, the Gryffindor emblem merrily sewn dead-center of the quilt, and then studied herself in the mirror. Her hand moved upwards, sliding across her left cheek, feeling the softness, still wet from tears. _I've been crying at night. Why?_

She couldn't truly remember, she did have a faint ghost of a memory of waking up from a horrible dream, but all she recalled was the feeling of waking up and realizing it was not true. She remembered the feeling very well, but not the act itself. Hermione sighed and then wiped at her eyes again, from pure habit. Her night gown's sleeves were too long, the squared tips of her fingernails just barely peeked out from under the lace. 

Her eyes scanned all the beds around her and saw they were empty. _That's funny, usually the girls choose to sleep in._ Then, realization dawned on her, as quickly as the orange orb in the sky, and it burned through her eyes and into her heart. " Yuletide Friends Club." She mimicked her voice to sound like the delighted croon of Parvati's voice. 

All the girls were probably in the bathrooms, caking on makeup in layers, trying to look stunning for their smashing dates. Hermione wondered if she should buy a Ton-Tongue Taffy for a good laugh with Fred and George Weasley. It was their last year, and she hoped they spent it in delight. Besides, a date in the joke shop had to be good for something.

Hermione took out an old ebony hair pin that her grandmother had once worn, in an old faded picture that had become part of the family portrait album. Her grandmother had been so beautiful when she was her age! Hermione studied her mottled skin, red blotches standing out from her crying on the pale skin. Then, she grimaced at her muddy brown eyes and dark, completely wild hair. At least when she pinned it up, it stayed out of her way so she could get on with her life. Hermione took a sideways glance at the bureau standing a few feet away from her bed. She couldn't remember the last time she took out her party dress. 

" Now, dear, don't cry. Pinch your cheeks, it'll make them rosy." The mirror chided happily and the two gilded eyes carved over it blinked a few times. Hermione sighed.

" I have a date today." She began.

" Oh dear! Fancy you'd have to wear something nice then!" The mirror's eyes slowly turned towards her bureau. " Don't mind me watching, hon, I want to see what you pick."

Hermione couldn't really mind the mirror. She slowly slid open the very bottom drawer and saw a glimpse of red silk. She raised the gown upwards. It was a very simple cut – tight-fitting and slinky, with a small slit to her knee on one side. It was sleeveless and very red. It had been her mother's prom dress, and now Hermione would wear it, since Hermione refused to go out with her mother to buy a fancy dress of her own. 

" I suppose I could wear this old thing." She murmured to herself.

" That? It's far too red, dear. It'll mute your natural beauty." The mirror put in her two cents.

" My beauty?" Hermione asked, amused. " You must mean my brains, that's what's beautiful about me." Her fingers found her wand beneath the bed, and with a few words, the dress became black. " I like it this way!" She exclaimed. 

" Much better. Black is always in style." The mirror was now a bit disinterested. The eyes slowly closed and it fell into a deep sleep again. 

Hermione grinned, thankful for the mirror's few but friendly words. She slowly slipped out of her nightgown and tried on the dress. It was slightly long, but once again her wand fixed that. The area in the bust was far too large for her, she was embarrassed to have to lessen the cut in that area as well. Hermione was glad the other girl's weren't around. She was sure she'd be the talk at breakfast the next day for such a humiliating thing.

Hermione turned back to the mirror and looked at herself critically. At least she could still fit in the tightness of the dress, though it did tug a bit. She took a deep breath and the tug stopped. She walked out, the air sucked in, to face the panicked crowd of girls in the bathroom.

..::..

Harry adjusted the black bow of his suit. Ron stood behind him, trying to figure out whether Percy's broken watch would make him look more intelligent or more poor. Harry turned around, tugging at the black collar, trying to loosen up a bit. " What do you think, Ron?"

Ron smiled and gave him a thumb's up. " Looks great."

Harry didn't look convinced. He bit his lower lip and then wiped avidly at some invisible dirt on his pant leg. " So, where are you going?" He asked, softly.

" I'm thinking of going all out… butter beer, then a hayride in the park, just like Muggles do. I hear it's pretty fun. It's educational too, McGonagall says it's always good to understand Muggles." Ron shrugged and then added: " Where are you taking Hermione?"

" The Joke Shop." He replied.

" The Joke Shop?" Ron began to laugh. " Come on, Harry, this is serious."

" I am serious. Hermione wants to go there." Harry frowned, his black brow furrowing behind his glasses. " I just don't get it. I thought she'd want this one time where she can be herself, a real girl. I thought the only reason she was so reserved and uptight is because of school. Even now, when she's free of school for winter break, she's still so worried about everything!" He threw his hands upwards. 

" Maybe you can stay at Hogwarts and sit by the fire together, reading a book… together… your arms around each other…" Ron gave him a sexy tiger growl. " Try it, Harry, take the expert's advice." He shot him a wide grin.

Harry rolled his eyes. " Right then, Mr. Expert."

" I don't think Hermione wanted a date with me, to be honest. She sounded as if she wanted to get the required date over with so that she could leave me alone. It's almost as if…" He paused for a second. "… she _hates_ me."

" That's nuts, Harry. She's your best friend, and mine too."

" But so far this year, she's been sort of distant, even more then before. I don't know what's going on." Harry looked worried. 

" I think she's playing hard to get." Ron teased.

" Our Hermione? Playing hard to get?" Harry shook his head.

" Girls are funny business, Harry. Best not to try to understand them, it's a whole lot safer that way." Ron murmured wisely.

..::..

Hermione waited in front of the Joke Shop in Hogsmeade. Her black dress was covered with her robes because she didn't have any fancy coat to put over herself. Hermione's eyes were concentrated on her black lace-up shoes, trying to move Harry out of her mind. So far this year, she'd given him his space. It was best not to notice how he'd somehow evened out a bit, gained muscle and grown taller, his eyes taking on a very handsome sparkle… her mind stopped the string of thoughts and feelings. _I'm not going to get hurt, It's been bad enough before, having to try and compete with Cho Chang. I don't know what I was thinking, kissing Harry before we parted at the end of the fourth year._

She looked up and through the gently falling snow, she saw the dark shape of Harry in front of her. She heard his voice, soft and faltering: " Hi… Hermione." 

Hermione's eyes studied him and then she replied: " Hi, Harry." She could see that he looked genuinely glad to see her, which surprised her, to say the least. Her eyes moved across him, taking in his clothing and his large grin. There was something about Harry was charming and sweet, but beyond normal earthly charm and sweetness, it was almost a spiritual thing. He simply radiated a warmth and joy if he was feeling happy. 

" Let's go inside." She offered, motioning at the door with her hand.

" Sure." Harry took her arm and then they walked into the Joke Shop. It smelled like rubber and cut grass inside, though Hermione wasn't sure why. They looked around for a while, then Harry got bored and turned to Hermione, hoping that she would accept his offer to go back to Hogwarts and read.

" Hey, Hermione, I was thinking… do you want to head back to Hogwarts?" 

" Oh." Hermione's mind buzzed feverishly. _I knew it, he just wants to go back before people see him in public with me. Enough with all the talk last year thanks to Rita Skeeter, he probably doesn't want people to think we're boyfriend and girlfriend. I should have been giving him more space all year! How embarrassing it must be, to have every girl assume you're taken!\_
    
    " W – we can sit around, read a little, if you'd like." Harry grinned slightly. " We'll be alone, so you can relax." 

__

Of course, once we're alone, he wouldn't care if I want to hug him or anything, nobody would see. Hermione almost felt a wave of explosive anger inside of her. _This is so unlike Harry!_ Hermione's eyebrows raised in suspicion. " I suppose we can go back, then." She grinned cheerfully, bashing down her worrisome feelings. " Sure, let's go back." She feigned a happy exposition. _At least when we're alone, I'll tell you, Harry. I'll tell you that I'm willing to leave you alone._
    
    Author's Note: ooooh. I have so many good ideas for the future of this story! I'm just dying to type more, but I need to make somehow a cliffhanger… Review, please? I'll love you forever! Or if you prefer, I won't.


	3. Feelings may grow

A/N: I do not own Harry Potter and related syndica.

..::Chapter 3::..

It was darker then before outside as Harry shut the tall Hogwarts entrance doors and then glanced at Hermione. She had white snowflakes dotting her hair like diamonds in a crown, or stars in the deep blue blanket that cloaked the sky that night. His smile was trying to appear warm and inviting, but Hermione simply walked past him, giving him a cool but sophisticated grin. He stared after her as they moved up the staircase, running his hand through his hair nervously. The black strands fell forwards on to his forehead again, though, and he sighed.

" What's wrong, Harry?" She turned to look at him.

" Nothing." He murmured, wishing he could get his hair in order for once in his life. 

Hermione's voice seemed to echo in doubt though as she replied:

" Well, alright." 

They soon neared the Gryffindor common room. Harry said the password and Hermione went first through the passage, and then Harry. They found themselves in a room so dark their eyes barely adjusted. Harry held his wand up and said: "Lumos!" A piercing light seemed to bring the room to light again and Hermione was able to see past the tip of her nose again. She cast a spell, causing the room's candles and lamps to light up instantly.

She gave him a signal and he moved closer to her. She motioned out the window in utter silence, as if sound could pierce the magical glow in the room and chase the beauty of the moment away. Outside, the sun had finally set, a blazing fiery mane still prominent in the sky, beneath the purple-bellied clouds. " Oh, isn't it marvelous?" She asked him, her voice trembling in emotion.

Harry nodded.

Hermione turned away, her hand stirring the great crimson-colored curtain awake. It rustled pleasantly as she slowly sat down on the plush leather sofa and then curled her legs up, sitting Indian-style. He watched her with an awed respect.

" Sit down." She said, softly. " You don't have to stand."

Harry nodded again, this time stupidly. " Of course." He said, finally, and then sat down beside her. He could see the way her dark hair curled behind her ear, where it was tucked back modestly. He could also see the gentle curve of her nose, where it ended with a slightly upturned peak, giving her a rather friendly exposition. Most evident to him was the round, provocative curve of her lips, the way she wet them with the tip of her tongue, slowly brushing a stray hair from her mouth with her hand, and then pursing her lips as she spoke: 

" Thanks for taking me to the joke shop."

" No problem." He examined her face, and suddenly, he _knew_. He knew what it was that he felt, all of a sudden. _Now or never…_ "Uh, Hermione, I have to tell you something."

She looked up to face him, her soft features illuminated in the flickering light of the candle on the coffee table in front of them. There was somewhat of a riddling expression on her face, and he wished he could read her expression so that he could predict her reaction.

" I… I don't know how you might react, but this has been on my mind all year." He glanced at his hands. " Remember how… Rita Skeeter mentioned us being a couple? Well…I was thinking…"

" Harry, I know." She blurted out. His eyes met hers and he saw tears blurring her vision.

" You… you know?" Harry felt hurt at her saddened expression. 

" You don't have to pretend about how you feel anymore." She whispered. " I just want you to know that I don't agree."

Harry's stomach fell sharply inside. " I … I thought, in the least, you wouldn't mind."

" Well, I do." She turned wild, angry eyes at him. " I find that its rude for you to even tell me things like this. I've tried to be a good friend, and this is what I get?" She shot up. " All I asked for is to just be friends. And you have to go and sweep that under a rug." Her heart looked literally broken.

" Hermione, please, don't be angry!" He jumped up as well, trying to grasp her hand.

She yanked it out and then shouted: " Alright, I _won't _be angry! Why don't you go hit on Cho Chang, now that you got that all out?"

Harry turned his face away. " Then I will." Her hands balled into fists and she looked ready to whip him. Instead, Hermione dashed across the room and through the passage that would lead her to the girl's quarters. Harry collapsed onto the couch again and shook his head.

He couldn't understand what went wrong. Harry was nearly sure that she'd love to hear that he'd had a crush on her for a while now. He wasn't expecting for her to blow up like that in his face. Her face was contorted with anger as she hissed angrily at him, then leaving him with his shattered hopes, bits of rainbows fallen to the earth after a shattering mistake. Harry's mouth twitched upwards in a bitter smile. _So she wanted to be "just friends", as she said… why did she avoid me then? I thought it was surely because she had feelings for me as well. I guess I'm the fool, in the end. _His bitter smile gave no hope to an uplifting in mood, however, for he stood, punching the wall with a deafening crack, before receding into the boy's quarters.

~*~

Hermione balled up the tissues and pressed them against her eyelids, through which hot tears streamed. Her chin was propped up on the parapet of the window as she tried to take her mind off of Harry's insensitive words. _How dare he treat me that way! I thought he'd at least not bring up Rita Skeeter and the way she called them a couple. _

Her mouth opened to try and breathe, for her nose was completely runny by now. Instead, she released a low, wailing sob. _Oh, I can't believe I exploded that way! I should have at least been nice and nonchalant about it!_

" I thought you wouldn't mind!"

How arrogant! I wouldn't mind the fact that he'd willingly dump my friendship that way? Hermione kicked aside a pillow and then slowly lowered her head down so that her forehead was pressed to the ice cold window. _I predicted this, I knew it was coming, though. _

Then why do I feel as if this is all wrong?

~*~

The morning revealed that Hogwarts was completely weighted down and covered with snow. Hermione stretched and nearly rolled off her bed and onto the ground. She groped the bedside and found it completely strewn with tissues. It took her a while to process the situation, then she scrambled from bed and took a long, bristling look into the mirror. Her eyes were very light pink and so bloodshot that she looked frightening. Her face was puffy and blotchy and her nose was still runny. Her hair, meanwhile, was matted and so disorganized it was almost funny. 

Running a brush through the tangles, Hermione tried to process a very tight, strict schedule for the day. She'd have to avoid Harry and Ron at all costs. Harry would probably either ignore her completely or offer lame excuses, depending on his mood and how badly his feelings were hurt by her outburst. Ron, meanwhile, would probably stick on her like a leech, sucking out the tiniest of details of their row.

Hermione suddenly felt tired. She snatched the brush from her hair, tugging angrily at a few tight strands, and then she tossed it across the room. It bounced off the headboard of some other girl's bed before tumbling to the floor. Hermione was glad to see that she was alone again. The girls were all probably heading to breakfast and then a second date with their Yuletide Friends partner.

__

Yuletide Friends, my ass. A wedge was driven between me and Harry, and that damn program had to go and severe us apart completely.
    
    She nearly burst into tears again, but then she regained composure and went to get her brush.

Only the mirror offered comment: " Dearest, you should consider a braid for today. That hair is just wretchedly matted."

~*~

Hermione collapsed onto a bench beside the Gryffindor table just as many students were wrapping up their meals. She chose to sit by Neville and the Weasley twins this time, instead of on the opposite end of the table, where Ron and Harry sat. Harry looked up, trying to get Hermione's eyes to lock on his. Hermione could see him just fine out of the corner of her eye, though, and she ignored him. Harry whispered something to Ron, then stood and left the table.

Hermione felt a bit guilty. _It's really not his fault, though, who wants to be hounded by a friend like… me?_
    
    She averted her eyes from Harry's back as he left the room and then concentrated on Neville's long speech about his most recent accident. He looked quite shaken, but his voice was such a monotone that it droned and dulled everything about the story.

Hermione twiddled her fork through her food and then excused herself from the table as well. " I think I should go get some fresh air." She added, as Fred and George looked at her questioningly.

" Ah, trying to go heat up some of the spark from your night with Harry, eh?" George said, loudly.

" Heard you guys left early, couldn't keep your hands off each other." Fred added.

" Went right for the couch in the common room…" George continued, adding a dramatic flair to his words.

Fred and George were laughing so hard they didn't make notice of Hermione as a tear fell from her eye and down onto the tiled floor, where it dissolved into the muddy tracks of students. 

~*~

Hermione strolled for a good while outside, her footsteps making a pleasant splashing sound in the puddles that resulted from the melting snow. The weather was very pleasant – not so cold that it stung her skin, but not warm enough to destroy the winter-like wonderment and beauty in the air. She took in a deep, wavering breath and for the first time in many days, felt immaculate and calmer then the stilled water in the lake. The cool crispness of the air against her skin was enough to enfold her in unending, passionate emotions. There was a sea of disturbed, hurt feelings inside of her, and she finally could release them.

Crying softly, she sat herself down on one of the steps that led up to the Hogwarts doors and then looked down. The steps were an odd pathway, frighteningly real yet like a fantasy through her blurred eyes. She could only see the first few steps, but the tears in her eyes hid the unfolding path downwards. Her life would soon unfold this path downwards, she assured herself inside.

Just then, she heard a voice behind her: " Hermione? What are you doing here?"

She turned and saw Ron.

" Nothing. Just thinking." She said, averting her eyes so that he wouldn't see the tracings of tears in them.

Ron leaned against the brick stone pillar supporting the little roof over the walkways of Hogwarts. His mouth formed a little lopsided smile. " So, was it that shocking?"

She looked up.

" Having Harry tell you he liked you."

" WHAT?"

~*~

A/N: I'm gonna stop here. I am feeling evil today… evil me… with cliffhangers… oh no, what is the world coming to?


	4. In the moonlight

A/N: I do not own Harry Potter and related syndica.

..::Chapter 4::..

" Hasn't he told you? He said he tried, but you just went berserk." Ron said, finally, putting his hands on his hips. 

" Berserk." Hermione repeated the word, trying to fit it into a picture of her mental health inside her head. _Am I really going insane? Did Ron just say what I think he just said?_ Her eyes darted up to his and this time he saw the tears for sure.

" Don't tell me he hurt your feelings by giving you a compliment like that!" Ron exclaimed.

" No, he … you're joking, aren't you?" Hermione stood up, bewildered. The ground rushed by her eyes as she ran back up the staircase, her laced black boots splashing madly on the ground. Her eyes pierced into his, in a challenge for him to tell the truth. Her hands fell down squarely on each of his shoulders, so that he was completely focused on her. " Please tell me you're joking."

Ron shook his head, frightened. 

Hermione released him, throwing her hands upwards in an exasperated gesture. " Oh, for Pete's sake…" She sank down to her knees, her back pressed against the unreasonably rough surface of the brick walling. " … I'm such an idiot." A slow, unsteady laugh rose up from inside of her.

Ron covered his head, thinking she'd wallop him good now that she went completely insane. He opened one eye, examining her quivering back. She didn't look like she was laughing now, and then turned, tears now streaming down her face. " Can you believe it? And I just blew him away…"

" Uh, what are you doing?" Ron asked.

Hermione stood, her hands outstretched towards him.

He cowered and shouted: " Hey! I'm just the messenger!"

Hermione hugged him, though, leaving a trail of tears on his cheek where her cheek brushed. " Thank you so much. I still have time to explain everything. That's what I'll do –" She snapped her fingers. " – I'll just apologize profoundly. It's all just a big mistake." Her head swam with fragmented thoughts, suddenly tossed into a whirlwind.

" Well, go!" Ron said, making a shooing motion with his hands. " You're really emotional, aren't you?"

Hermione smiled. " I owe you big, Ron. If not for you, I'd still think that Harry _hated_ me." She brushed her hand across her cheek.

" So you needed _me_ to tell you that Harry liked you, even though Harry told you himself?" Ron was obviously lost in his own little numb brain. " Please explain this all to me. I'm missing a part of the story, aren't I?"

" I promise I'll tell you everything later. I have to find Harry!" She exclaimed, then spun around on her heels and ran.

" I knew she was insane from the moment I met her." Ron said to himself as she ran away.

~*~

Harry couldn't believe his bad luck. The second he stepped out of the lunchroom, he had run into Draco Malfoy, who promptly tripped him right into a puddle of spilled cereal. Before Harry could really react to the hostile move, Draco had moved away somewhere with his two goons, Crabbe and Goyle. Not that Harry wanted to look for that creep; his main concern was to just get some rest.

He hadn't slept all night, which resulted in a fluttering, tired feeling inside. His stomach hurt even worse because he hadn't had a chance to even enjoy his breakfast before he made an awkward exit. Now he wanted to kick himself for such a stupid decision. There was nothing for him to be upset about. _Maybe Hermione's just moody today. Maybe it's that time of the month._ His eyes looked up to see Nearly Headless Nick float by, scratching his severed head in thought.

Harry walked down the hallway, hoping to go into the Gryffindor common room and take a nap, when he heard someone crying. For some reason, he had a strange idea that it was Hermione crying. He arched his neck, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. He decided it was the opposite direction, in one of the classrooms. Taking quicker, wider steps, Harry slowly peeked into the classrooms on the left side of the hall. 

Finally, he caught sight of the crying student – Cho Chang, her dark hair spilling in silky strands across her fingers as she sat cradled in a chair in the corner of the room, her hands pressed into her eyes to suppress the tears. She looked up and her almond-shaped eyes flew open in surprise. " Harry!" She lowered her knees from her chest and then immediately stood up. " I… I was just…"

" What's wrong?" Harry asked, finally.

" I…" She took in a slow breath, which caused her whole body to waver somehow. She had lost at least twenty pounds ever since Ceddric died, now her frame was no longer as curvy as before, and she looked wilted. Her eyes were dulled and sad, her hair no longer as rich and black-colored as before. She sighed and came out straight with her problem: " I ditched my date." 

" He should cry, then, not you." Harry pointed out.

" No, but I feel awful. I just – after Ceddric, I can't face another boy on a date without feeling like I was cheating him." Cho sniffled and then wiped her eyes with the sleeves of her slightly baggy turtleneck. 

Harry dug into his pocket and pulled out a crisp white handkerchief, which he handed to her in a tender and understanding act. Cho took the handkerchief, wiping her eyes with a bit more gusto now. She began again: " I - - I feel horrible. He was really a nice person, one of Ceddric's friends, no less." Cho tugged at a thin, blue string escaping from her sleeve. 

" Cho, Ceddric would have wanted you to go out there and find someone just as wonderful as him." Harry said, finally, after a moment of silence. 

" You were there when he died." Cho said, softly. " I still feel he suffered. How can I go on, when he'll never be able to go on?" Her chin quivered and she took a few breaths to keep herself from crying again.

" He's probably watching over you as we speak, trying to tell you to dry your tears." Harry sat down beside her. He reached into his back pocket and felt the two tickets inside. He had purchased tickets to go see a movie with Cho, a movie the wizard way – where you could smell and touch, at times, the events occurring on the completely three dimensional screen. When there were fish swimming across the screen, you literally could reach out and feel a fish as it swam inches past you. Now that Hermione obviously didn't want to go with him, he might as well…

" I have some movie tickets. Maybe we can go together." Harry said, finally. " I know I'm no Ceddric, so we can go as friends, just to raise your spirits a bit." 

Cho smiled, taking a ticket. " Oh, Harry, this is no nice of you, but..."

Harry grinned, feeling his ears warming. " No need to thank me, I could almost feel Ceddric taking the tickets out of my pocket." Harry admitted. " I know he'd have wanted you to go out once in a while and to enjoy yourself."

She nearly cried again. " … thank you." She could only say, looking at the ticket.

" So, will you be there? It starts in just an hour. Or should I go with you?" Harry asked. _I guess I'll have to leave in about five minutes anyway._

" I'll be there..." She put on a brave front. " … and… with Ceddric, too."

~*~

Hermione couldn't comprehend why Harry wasn't in Hogwarts. _Well, where else could he be?_ She even asked Neville to search the boy's quarters in the Gryffindor tower, but the only thing they found was yet another awful purple bruise on Neville's forehead when he banged his head on the iron support of one of the beds. Then, just as she hoped to give up, she realized Harry might have gone back to Hogsmeade. It was fairly reasonable, after all, nearly everyone was there at this point, third year and up. First and second years remained in Hogwarts, for obvious reasons.

__

I'll just go to Hogsmeade. I'll ask if I can go without escort – it's really a simple path by Floo Powder. I'll just go to McGonagall and ask…

~*~

After getting a nod from Professor McGonagall, she used the Floo Powder and ended up in a little junk shop. She apologized to the man that was standing at the counter and then she left. Searching Hogsmeade wasn't nearly as easy as it sounded. There were so many people there that she could barely move down the street. She peeked into café windows and through shop window displays, hoping to spot Harry somewhere inside. Instead, all she got were jabs and harsh words from the bustling crowd.

The crowd seemed to carry her now and she couldn't move from the flow. Now she noticed it was more like a disfigured line waiting for something. Hermione decided to wait until she found out what they were waiting for – chances were, Harry was caught in the line as well.

About forty minutes later, she was nearly in front of the line and she could see a large theater house. _Oh, great, a theater, and I don't have tickets. I'll get in trouble with those mean-looking guards._ She tried to move out of line but there was a rush of people to both sides of the line – people moving out of the theater from the last performance.

She sighed, ruffling the purple plume in the hat of the woman in front of her.

Just then, the woman in front of her gave a stack of tickets to the guard. " For me and my kids." She said, roughly. A group of rowdy, five to ten year old brown-haired boys stampeded into the theater. The guard eyed Hermione and then he swept his eyes from her to the person behind her. " Ticket, please." The guard said, loudly. The old man behind her handed a ticket. 

Hermione realized she was just gawking and holding up the line, so she moved into the theater as well. _Ah, well, a free movie isn't so bad, is it? _ She thought, considering her luck. _The guard must have thought I was one of the ladies' children._
    
    Hermione felt her heart stop as she took a seat. Just three rows down, and a seat to the left, sat Harry Potter. Her heartbeat quickened as she imagined running into him outside, and then her apology, sealed with a burning and passionate kiss. Instead, her eyes stared in horror at the girl sitting beside him – Cho Chang.

__

We moved on quickly, didn't we, Harry? Hermione thought, bitterly.

She crossed her legs and settled back to enjoy the show. _I'll win you back somehow, though. I have the duration of the movie to figure out a plan._

Yet, as brilliant shapes and colors flooded the screen, slowly emerging into the audience so they could get a chance to employ their senses, Hermione's mind drew complete blanks. She didn't know why, but she just couldn't bring herself to approach Harry and Cho. _I mean, what am I supposed to do? Just grab his hand, slap her, and walk away? She's had enough trouble ever since her boyfriend died. I should just let her be for now._

She sighed. _I'm just too nice for my own good._

~*~

A/N: Well, I end here. What _will_ Hermione do? Will she confront Harry and Cho? Will she sit back and let their "romance" flower? Will Harry be able to move his affection from Hermione to Cho? All here next time on… "Moonlight".

**__**

Yuck! I should be a TV announcer!


	5. Souls entwine in a deadly dance

A/N: I do not own Harry Potter and related syndica. And I am very sorry about the misspellings and grammar errors, I'm trying hard… ^_^;; Spell check doesn't pick this stuff up, and though I read and reread over and over again, my English _is_ limited. Hence the formal, stiff text and dialogue. 

Random person: *mutters under breath * _Excuses, excuses. You suck._

..::Chapter 5::..

Harry waked out into the sunlight again, feeling completely bewildered. It was the first time he saw a movie the "wizard" way, and it astounded him! He could still remember the briny smell of sea water and the amazingly colorful fish in the movie. It was a nature movie about the ocean and sea wildlife – an educational show for an educated date. Cho enjoyed it immensely, even if she wasn't as smart or involved with nature as Hermione was. Now that Harry's eyes adjusted, he tried to figure out where to go next.

Cho took him by the elbow and said, brightly: " Maybe we can go get a butter beer while we're out here."

Harry grinned, glad to see how loosened up Cho became. Her eyes were gleaming so joyfully he didn't know if he'd be able to say no to her at that point. She half-closed her eyes, the long black lashes shading the tears that were beginning to form now. " I'm so glad you took me here. Thank you so much."

Harry's eyebrows raised ever so slightly and he nodded. " It's my pleasure." He dug into his pocket and found some loose change, and with a triumphant grin, he proclaimed: " Butter beer it is, then…" As he led her away, Hermione watched from a few steps aback, her eyes trying to read apart the words their lips formed.

" I could have sworn he called her buttercup!" Hermione said under her breath. " For Heaven's sake, that is just _too_ cheesy, even for a first-timer like Harry." She glanced upwards at the large old-fashioned, Muggle-style clock tower that had been built into the tower of one of the extravagant stores. It was an expensive clothing store, for the fashionable witches out there, or those that wish to fall far behind in their savings.

__

It's fairly early, I suppose I'll go around the block to beat the crowd, and then get myself something to drink. Butter beer sounds good right now. 

So, rounding the corner, she managed to escape the throng of people that had thrown itself upon the shops along the way from the theater. Her mind wandered loosely, trying to avoid the jealous pinch in her stomach that was the result of seeing Harry and Cho. Perhaps it was a charity date, since Cho was practically a widow in a sense after Cedric. Yet, Hermione could only hope that this was the case. _I should really grow up. It's not like me at all to be so envious. I should try to focus on that essay Snape assigned. I'm still halfway through, and I've run out of paragraph openers already, and the attention-getting beginning is nowhere as attention-getting as I'd like it to be. _

" Oh, shoot." She murmured to herself. There was at least forty people in line in the restaurant. Though the many waitresses were using all their might and magical power to serve and satisfy customers, there was obviously quite a waiting line anyway. Hermione really had no place else to go, and she was surely not about to waste a good opportunity to run into Harry, now that they were at least, as far as she knew, in the same part of Hogsmeade. She hoped that, perhaps, Cho and Harry would see her first, maybe if they walked by the café and saw her through the windows. It would feel too much like spying if she went up to them, and that wasn't the case at all. 

She pushed through the crowd of people at the entrance, accidentally jostling some girl in the back, which resulted in a disgruntled little squeak, but other then that, she managed to make it to the other side of the café without an incident. Slowly, she lowered herself into a little chair and then folded her hands on the table. Once the lines thinned out, she'd nab herself a drink.

The room was loud with talking, and of course, a lot of witches brought along children. These little ones would scream and run around like crazy, which drove everyone else up the wall. Hermione felt a bit irritated anyhow, and she hoped that she'd loosen up when she sees Harry. _If_ I see Harry, Hermione reminded herself constantly.

Meanwhile, Harry had taken his place in line outside of the café. Being small and crowded, the line had escaped the building and was now forming outside. Harry looked at Cho's face expectantly, almost as if he wanted to read her mind about whether they should stay or not. Cho smiled at him and said: " I can wait, we don't really have anywhere to hurry off to, right?"

Harry nodded. " Right."

The line moved slowly. Finally, they were waiting inside, and Harry's eyes jerked upwards to see Hermione sitting in the corner of the room, her head bent down low, examining a folded paper napkin on the table with disinterest. She was probably waiting the long line out. His stomach squeezed uncomfortably. _What if she sees Cho and me? She'll just get the wrong idea, and then we'll argue more._

However, luck and fate had other things in mind, and stowed away in mind was having Cho notice Hermione first. " Isn't that – it is! Hermione Granger!" Cho's eyes lit up with surprise. " Once we get ourselves out butter beer, we can sit by her… if you'd like."

Cho wasn't really expecting an answer to her statement, she figured that Harry would jump at an occasion to sit with his good friend. Instead, Harry replied: " Wouldn't you rather sit alone? Hermione might be here waiting for a date. It would be awkward to intrude like that."

The large hoop earrings in Cho's ears dangled as she cocked her head to one side. " Who's her Yuletide Friends partner?"

Harry's stomach churned. _I knew she'd ask about it sooner or later._ Harry looked away from Cho's face and said: " I am."

" Oh." Cho looked disappointed. She seemed to be considering something. Her mind suddenly filled with suspicious thoughts: _Did he just drop Hermione so he could go on a date with me? But Harry wouldn't do that! He's too nice to just dump one girl so he can take another… or… is he up to it…?_

Harry could see the questioning look on her face and explained: " I… I got into an argument with her."

" What happened?" She asked.

Harry sighed. " I guess I crossed some sort of unsaid rule towards girls… I tried to tell her I… _liked_… her, and she blew up." Harry's green eyes were remorseful. " She's absolutely peeved at me for it. She was fuming all day, I think, and she wouldn't even look my way during breakfast."

Cho's lips pursed as if she ate something sour. 

" So, guess I struck out bad, huh?" Harry dropped his eyes down to his feet. 

" Harry, any _normal_ girl would be flattered if a boy like you fell for her." Cho's voice dropped an octave, seeing that the people around them had begun to listen in on their conversation. " In fact, she should have been weeping in joy, not yelling at you." Cho shook her head. " You did nothing wrong. In fact, what you did was right. If she runs from you when you try and be serious with her, that just shows the way she is. Polite and book-smart, but past that whole façade, maybe she's horribly childish and not ready for a relationship. You deserve better than that."

Harry's spirits weren't uplifted. Instead, he felt even worse. _Hermione's **not** like that! She does care, I know it, and she is ready for dating. She was so serious about Viktor Krum last year, after all! Maybe she's just not serious about… me._

Cho took his hand, squeezing it warmly. Then, she let it drop down again, her eyes darting towards Hermione with anger bursting out from deep inside. Hermione looked up, saw Cho glaring at her, and simply looked back down again – but this time, a flush crossed her cheeks.

*

Hermione brushed a loose strand of hair from her face and then stood up. _I will not make a scene. I will not cry as I walk by Harry's table. No matter how many awful things he told Cho about me, I will not try and make myself look better in her eye. Who cares about what Cho Chang thinks of me? Stupid Harry! _Her eyes closed, her mind battling her body, but finally, the hunger in her stomach forced her to stand up and head for the thinned-out line at the counter. She had left behind a little reserved card on the table she sat at, so that nobody would take her seat.

Passing Harry and Cho's table, she almost begged Harry to say something to her. Harry turned his head, looking out the window, as if he didn't want to recognize her. Cho, meanwhile, spoke up: " Hello."

Hermione stopped, grinned back coldly, and replied: " Hi." Then, she continued going. _I don't have time for all this. Why did I bother getting so involved in the Yuletide Friends Club? I shouldn't even care! I predicted my own indifference to it! Why can't I be as nonchalant as I want to be?_

At the counter, she ordered a glass of ice water and a small ice cream sundae. Hermione didn't want butter beer any longer, seeing that this was the treat Harry took Cho out for. Returning to her seat, she took another path so that she didn't walk by Harry's seat again. 

__

Oh, Harry, I wish I could blame you for all this, but it's my fault. I'm so stupid, and now I lost you to Cho for sure. 

*

Hermione returned to Hogwarts with empty hands, but worse, with an empty heart. _At least not an empty head,_ she thought bemusedly. _At least, I hope not. I better get started on my essay for Snape._

As she entered the Gryffindor common room, she saw that Ron was sitting on the couch already, a book spread in his lap, using his wand as an instrument to trace down the page, moving down a space each time he completed a line in the text. From time to time, he'd lift the wand to switch it to the top line of another page.

Hermione watched him read as she sat herself down on the other side. Ron looked up and grinned, his cheeks dimpling. " Hey. Did you talk to Harry yet?"

Hermione shook her head.

" You didn't see him?"

" I saw him… with Cho." Hermione said.

" Aw, Hermione, you don't really think Harry just forgot about you! When you care for someone, it's not just going to go away as quickly as peeling off gloves or something. You have to just go up to him and talk to him." Ron spoke wisely, despite the fact that he was digging in his ear with his finger at the same time.

" Then what's he doing with Cho?"

" Ever heard of being _nice?_" Ron replied. " You know she's broken down because of Cedric. It's only nice for him to offer Cho a date."

Hermione's ears reddened. She suddenly wanted to cry her heart out. " I'm so stupid." She said, finally. " I bet Harry has Cho thinking the wrong idea about me too, now. Oh, Ron, I really do like him! I really, really do!" A tear slipped from her eye and she pressed her knuckles into her eyes, trying to force the tears back. " I just wish this wasn't all so confusing and complicated! What sort of evil force is driving me against him like this?"

Ron looked unsure of what to do. Finally, he hugged her lightly, and she pressed her head down onto his shoulder, hot tears plastering his collar to his neck. Hermione wept for a few minutes then pulled away. " Thanks, Ron, I really owe it to you. You're the only support I have right now."

He shrugged and grinned. " It's all I can do for you, Hermione." 

She hugged him again, and while his head was beside hers, and his face looking out into the darkening corners of the room, he could only hope that Hermione would be happy again. _This is all I can do for you. I want you to be happy, and I know that you're happy when you're with Harry. I just can't take that away._

Hermione stood and then flattened down a cowlick on his head. " Well, I'll go to sleep. Tomorrow, even if Cho is with him, I'm just barging right up to Harry and clearing this all up."

" That's the spirit." Ron said. He gave her a thumb's up sign as she walked off.

*

Author's Note: Alright, I'm gonna stop here. No, this won't be Ron/Hermione! *send flowers to the R/Hr shippers to comfort them*. Well, you should have known I'm Pro-H/Hr by now! They are destined to be together! It's in the stellar alignment of the stars! *cackling madly* BWA HAHAHHAAH!

*cough cough*

Aw, heck, some reviewer told me that JKR said that she's going to let something bloom between Ron and Hermione. _Why? Why oh cruel world? Have all my fictions been written for nothing? To fuel an empty fire that burns upon the desires of readers waiting to be disappointed, ready to be doused by the sudden R/Hr turn in the books?_

If you review, I won't write annoying author notes again! Or if you want me to write these stupid things, review then, too! And if you want to see how this all turns out, support me! Review!

Gary Skinner – how's the then/than situation in this chapter? I checked all the then's and turned some of them to than's just in case. ^_^ And Ceddric is now Cedric… and I'm working hard following the rules :-) By the ways, do you beta read? 

In fact, all you people out there reading, if you're good at grammar and language, please, please, please, be a Beta Reader? I'll choose one to my preference :-)


	6. Splintering apart lost difficulties

A/N: I don't feel like doing this anymore. Oh Merry Men!

****

*bunch of guys in tights bounce from bushes*

Men: "She steals from the rich JKR, and gives to the readers!"

Me: "I wish I took a wee percentage cuz I'm darn greedy!"

Men: *glare at me* " She doesn't own it, all she wants to do is…"

Me: " get paid!"

Men: "That's bad. Bad. Bad."

Me: " sheesh. Fine. All I want to do is write…. My Peach Girl story!." *walks off*

Men: *pull me back* "Not until you finish this fic, you don't!"

__

..::Chapter 6::..

Hermione could have sworn that it was going to rain. The sky gathered in looming, dark clouds that seemed to span for endless stretches of sky. She put her hands on her hips and then turned from the window, facing the doorway of the room. It had taken her a while to get ready for her talk with Harry – a while filled with coming her wild hair, trying to straighten the wrinkles from her white shirt, and fretting over what to say and what not to say.

" I'll just make a fool of myself." Hermione confessed to the mirror.

" Your collar is uneven, dear." The mirror replied.

Hermione fixed it and then smiled awkwardly at her reflection. " Ah, well. I'll just go out there, ask him to come outside the dining hall with me, and then we'll talk."

" Enjoy your meal." The mirror said, cheerfully, and then dozed off.

..::..

The dining hall was absolutely stuffed with students. After two days of being out and about with their Yuletide Friends, all the students seemed exhausted and willing to digest a nice, warm meal inside Hogwarts. Hermione sat down at the table and then folded her hands in order to keep herself from cracking her knuckles in utmost despair and nervousness.

" Hi, Hermione." A voice echoed from behind her.

A dark curtain of hair slipped down her shoulder and brushed against her cheek as she turned her head. Behind her stood Neville, looking very embarrassed. 

" What's wrong?" Hermione tried not to sound rude. _Oh, why does he distract me **now?**_ _Why not yesterday?_

Neville slowly lifted the sleeve of his left hand, for it had drooped over his hand. Except, when he lifted his sleeve, there wasn't a hand there, but a small hoof, like that of a calf. " How did this happen?" Hermione exclaimed, standing up.

" Snape saw me in the hallway, and you know how he hates me." Neville whimpered. " He told me to help him clean out dirty cauldrons. I stuck my hand in one without thinking, and - -" He lifted his hand, which spoke for itself of the effects.

" Can't you keep your curious hands at your sides?" Hermione grumbled, taking out her wand. She did a quick spell and Neville was back to normal. Yet, he remained standing in front of her. " What is it? Anything more?"

Neville looked even more embarrassed, then stammered: " I saw… I saw you didn't have a date yesterday, when you went to Hogsmeade. My date tripped and fell, twisting her ankle, so she's up in the hospital wing. I was wondering if…"

Hermione wanted to cry. _Why? Why is it always like this? Why can't I just be left alone by fate?_ Instead, she grinned and said, trying to wander off-topic: " I guess your date is really your match then, huh, Neville? She's clumsy, too, to fall like that."

His ears reddened. " She… tripped over me. I feel first."

She laughed. 

" So – maybe I can take you to Hogsmeade next time? Just so we're both not alone the entire time?" Neville asked.

Hermione nodded. " Sure Neville, but now, I really need to do something…" _I'm sorry, Neville, I really am, I just don't have time right now. If I don't catch Harry and tell him, it might be too late. Cho will wrap around him like some sort of octopus, squeezing him with tentacles until he only sees and knows **her**_. 

" You mean it? You can?" Neville's face brightened.

" Yes, yes." She sighed. " Would you excuse me for a minute, now?"

Neville nodded and watched her stand up. Hermione looked around the dining hall, trying to see where Harry was. Finally, her eyes saw him, sitting on the opposite polar end of the table, as always, in the usual place. Ron wasn't there, though, but Hermione didn't spend much time worrying about Ron. Instead, she moved towards Harry, her robes rustling loudly. He looked up, and then his expression blanked, his face more expressionless then a peeled potato.

__

What has Cho been telling him? Hermione wondered, as she said: " Harry, can I talk with you outside?"

Harry seemed to consider it rather deeply. Finally, he gave a curt nod, but didn't say anything to her. He turned to Seamus and told him: " I'll be right back."

" Sure, Harry." Seamus replied, then continued conversing with Ginny Weasley. Ginny had taken somewhat a brotherly liking to Seamus, though nobody really knew when or how. Seamus, of course, had even begun to call Ginny his "little sister". It was a big joke among the Gryffindors.

Hermione went first, taking the lead, as Harry trailed behind her. They were silent the whole way across the dining room, and once they stepped out in to the silence of the hallway, they still remained quiet.

" I want to explain something, Harry." Hermione began. " You don't have to say anything. I know you're upset, but you shouldn't be. I just need you to at least listen me out the whole way without interrupting. Alright?"

Harry nodded half-heartedly. 

" Remember - - well, I guess we should go way back when it all started. When Rita Skeeter told everyone we were boyfriend and girlfriend, I was so scared that…"

" … I know, Hermione. You made your point clear about how much you don't want to date _last_ time." Harry's voice was cold.

" No! Please, that's not the case." Her skin flushed. " … I was scared that you would want to stay away from me. I figured that you would never like me, I'm just a bookworm. The only thing I'd do for you, by staying by your side, would be to cause misunderstandings, and to intimidate girls from you. I didn't want you to be unhappy."

A surprised, painful realization flickered in Harry's eyes.

" I decided to keep away from you. That's why I didn't hang out with you, not because of how much I _hated _you." Hermione shook her head. " Never, not in all of infinity and all the time that is ahead of us in our lives, will I be able to hate someone like you, Harry."

Harry's ears were burning bright red now.

" When you tried to talk to me in the room, I thought you were trying to tell me… something else. I didn't think you were trying to ask me to…" Her voice quivered. " … be your girlfriend." 

His eyes met hers.

" If I could do anything, _anything _at all, to make it up to you, for all the stupid misunderstandings I made, for all the little annoying things I must have done, please tell me." She wrung her fingers in her hands desperately. " Tell me, because I like you. Very much, in fact, and I understand if you found something new in Cho, but at least I hope that now you know."

Harry's eyes closed as he thought, then he said, opening them again: " If you want to do anything for me, then…" He leaned forwards, gently kissing her on the lips, slightly off to the left for it was so sudden that Hermione didn't align her face with his. She felt her heart stop momentarily and then it felt as if everything around her had fallen fifty feet and broken into tiny pieces. Her chin quivered as he pulled his face away. "… then be my girlfriend. I want to finally make things right again. The way it _should_ have been."

" What about Cho?" Hermione whispered.

" She'll understand. I told her we're just going to be friends, and the date was really nothing more then hanging out. _As friends,_ Hermione." He smiled warmly at her.

Hermione's stomach fluttered again. " Oh, Harry." She hugged him close, and this time, their lips didn't land askew.

...::…

Ron felt an ill feeling deep inside his stomach. He could still feel Hermione hugging him, and he wondered if she did so purposely. _Well of course she did. How do you hug someone by accident?_ He grinned to himself, hugging a pillow in her place. _I wonder if she and Harry made up yet. I just want to see her happy again. It's not like her to go around depressed. She's always spirited and ready to tackle anything._

Suddenly, he felt saddened. _She's spirited and happy because of **Harry** though. I might have helped get them back together again, but so what? He's the one that makes her eyes sparkle that way._

Ron stood and then glanced out the window of the common room. Outside, through the knee-deep snow, a group of students was already leaving for Hogsmeade. Ron wondered if his date would be alright if he skipped out on today's festivities.

__

There's always the dance. It's just in two days, but by then, I guess, Harry and Hermione will be completely in love… 

..::...

" Cho, guess what." Harry's eyes peered into hers, sparkling and green. He was already taller then her, and he was younger. She grinned at him.

" What?" She asked.

" Hermione and I made up. It was all a big misunderstanding. She told me she didn't mean what she said, that she did like me, and that she thought I was telling her something else when I tried to ask her out." Harry blurted out, then paused, seeing she looked stricken.

" … she thought you were saying something else? How can you mistaken words of love for words of hate?" Cho looked doubtful.

" I'm not really sure myself, but…"

" You know what I think?" Cho grinned conspirationally. " I think she saw you and me together, and she's jealous. I feel awful now…" Her eyes seemed to fill with tears. " I must have made her mad. Girls like her can be really posessive. Now that you moved on, she probably realized what she could have had."

" Are you telling me Hermione _did _reject me?" Harry didn't seem to buy it.

Cho bit her tongue and a few more tears formed in her eyes. A sweet, honest, melodious voice emerged from her chest: " Harry, a girl might do _anything_ to date a boy like you. Don't you understand? She doesn't even have to like you. She just wants you in order to be a step ahead of the other girl."

Harry was bewildered. Cho, hurt and through a lot of pain after Cedric, couldn't be trying to play Hermione and him against one another! She was probably not even ready to date yet. They were still on a friends-only basis. She was probably telling him this in order to help him. And yet, something inside of him told him to watch out.

" Well, uh…" Harry looked at his feet. " … I don't know. I just want to stay with her. If anything, I guess I can always break it off. It's going great so far, though, now that we cleared the air between us."

" Of course it would go great, Harry." She smiled. " You're the most amazing boy in Hogwarts." Her silky brown eyes peered into his with an almost dreamy desire.

Harry felt his heartbeat quicken and he stammered: " I'm really flattered, Cho."

Cho sighed. _He's pretty slow on catching on, isn't he?_ Just then, a wide grin snapped onto her face. She slowly toned it down to a very shy smile. " Are you taking her to the dance?"

" Oh! The dance!" Harry seemed to remember it now. " Yeah, I am taking her."

" That's good." She put her head down, her black hair spilling forwards softly. " I… I guess I'll stay in my common room."

Harry felt sorry for her. However, he knew he couldn't go to the dance with two girls. Besides, Cho still had her assigned date, and she might as well try again with him. He said: " Well, I should go."

Cho nodded. " I'll see you around, Harry." She waved to him as he walked away. _And, by the next time I see you, I'll be ready to execute my plan. A girl might just do **anything **to be with a guy like you._

..::..

A/N: So now that Harry and Hermione found themselves in what they see as a road to a heavenly relationship, Cho manages to turn out not so innocent after all. Now if you excuse me, I'll just go write my Peach Girl fan fic and…

Merry Men: "You better finish this author's note!"

Me: " Alright, uh… my brother is now my beta-reader, because he lives right here so I can have it read instantly. If he's a bad one, I'll pick a Fan Fiction-style reader." *starts to back away*

Merry Men: " … and???"

Me: " Review, please." *runs off very, very fast*

Merry Men: *look at readers* " To be continued… bwa ha ha!"


	7. When it's dark bending me

Author's Note: I do not own Harry Potter and related syndica.

I fired my brother and now I have a cousin beta reading. She reads this fic as well but doesn't post reviews – she tells me in person what she likes and hates. I must give her some credit, she gave me an inspiration for what to write in this chapter :-) thanks girl.

..::Chapter 7::..

It was finally here – the dance that would be the ultimate test of love and romance for everyone. Harry was trying to figure his way through the crowded hallway before the dining hall. Someone had tacked up a few posters that loudly told of the dance, when it took place, and what to expect from it. He had been lucky enough to read the poster before the crowd formed – now he just wanted to eat breakfast and then enjoy Hermione's company. 

There was a very chilly draft in the hall but it was pleasant to experience – chilled silk against his skin. He sat himself down and then waited to see if anyone would sit by him. A group of Gryffindor students were gathered at the other end of the table, whispering fervently. Harry couldn't help but get his curiosity up. The group consisted of only boys, now that he thought about it.

He knew he'd have to sate his curiosity. He stood and approached their side of the table to catch brief interludes from their conversation:

" … I mean, you have to do something special…"

" … That's the bet way to show you care, you know…"

Fred and George, the older and more 'experienced' boys, were leading the conversation with animated, delightful chattering. Harry said: " What are you guys talking about?"

Fred's eyes sparkled with a devilish gleam and he whispered under his breath: " Girls, Harry. _Pleasing _girls during the dance."

" Just giving tips on how to make a girl go nuts for a guy." George added, his eyebrows waggling.

" I should have known!" Harry crossed his arms across his chest. However, something compelled him to listen in. The Weasley twins had enough rumor and gossip in them about girls to fill a good encyclopedia set. Though their rumors on what girls preferred, what gifts they liked, and what kisses they enjoyed were unconfirmed and often times solely based on overheard chitchat or articles in _The Witch Weekly_, a lot of boys asked for advice.

" Now, I've heard from a trusted source that a very popular girl in this school actually said that this year, girls are expecting a kiss from the guys. This dance is a huge thing, supposedly." Fred said to Harry. " We're just giving freelance information on how to do it_ right. _When to know if the mood is right."

Harry felt a strange feeling inside, almost an awakening feeling. He was completely inexperienced. He'd tried to kiss Hermione on the lips, but he botched that up. She had to go and kiss him back, doing it the right way. _Maybe I should listen in. I mean, who knows, it can come in handy. I don't want to embarrass Hermione in front of her peers, if all the other girls are getting kisses._

George banged his fist down on the table, making a bowl spin around on its base. It clattered to a stop, finally, and he said, his voice throbbing with secrecy: " Cho told me herself. She said she wanted me to keep it a secret, but I mean, you guys just _have_ to know."

Harry bit his lower lip. _So it was true. Cho wouldn't just make up lies to George. She only wants to help us all out, this would be just like her, to reveal secrets like these through the gender barrier. _

George forced out a nervous laugh. " Guess we all better brush up on kissing, huh?"

*

Cho slowly applied the brown-tinted lipstick. It was just a shade away from cinnamon-colored, and when she pursed her lips, it gave her an innocent but seductive look. Brushing a strand of black hair from her face, she examined herself in the mirror critically. _I'm sorry, Hermione, but Harry deserves better than you. I don't want him tied down to a girl that devotes herself to her books more than to her boyfriend. He needs someone willing to give him special attention. You haven't even begun dating yet and you've hurt him so many times, as well as getting mad over ridiculous things. How could you mistaken love confessions to a profession of hate? _

Her eyes were a very deep, chocolate-cake brown. Her skin was smooth and illustrious. Despite the shambles she had been in this year, Cho felt firm about the fact that she was ready to move on. _Why hadn't I noticed Harry before? When he talked to me in that classroom, I **knew**. He was meant for me, his kindness had kept me alive so far this year. He'd pick up my quill if I'd drop it in the hall, he'd help me out when I'd trip, and he even soothed me when I cried. When he took me on that date, it was the cherry on the ice cream._

Cho hugged herself tightly at the idea of Harry and her. _If I hadn't refused him before, I would have been in a relationship with him now. The whole disaster with Cedric wouldn't have affected me this way. This just proves it – fate wanted us together. I refused it before, but now I know._

Harry, I might have to hurt you slightly, but you will be happier with me in the long run. I know I'll be happier with you than any boy in Hogwarts. I'll treat you the way you deserve.

Giving herself a glance-over in the mirror one last time, Cho pinched her cheeks to give them roses and then she stepped out into the hallway. _Hopefully, by now, George has given his speech to the boys._ Cho carried herself proudly as she walked, her posture perfect and rigid, her eyes straight ahead, her chin on an elegant angle. She slightly lowered her head as she entered a more crowded area of the school, to give a shy and innocent effect. Slowly pushing her way through, she spotted Harry walking quickly across the hallway. 

Feigning surprise to see him, Cho grasped his shoulder. He spun around.

" Harry! How are you?" She asked.

Harry's eyes brightened to see a friendly face. " I'm fine. How's everything?"

" Just great." Cho pushed her hands into her pockets. Harry's face didn't seem to have any visible emotional strain written on it. _Best just go along with the plan. _" You look worried about something."

" I do?" Harry seemed to reflect. _Ah, right, now I remember. Guess it's just my nature to worry about little things, _he thought. " Oh, well, I just heard some news and I'm just a bit nervous about it. Nothing bad, of course." He grinned. " Just a little detail about the dance." _I can't give George away. _

Cho batted her eyelashes, then pressed her hand to her mouth, suppressing what was to be a sad look, holding back tears. " I bet Cedric would have been taking me to the dance, if not for…" A real wave of guilt filled her now. _I shouldn't be using his passing away like this. I've learned to adjust to it by now. Yet, it's the only way to gain Harry's pity. _

" Don't feel bad, Cho. I thought you were fine already. " Harry seemed to be frustrated, then an understanding look crossed his face. " I guess it must be the holidays. Everyone's coupled up, and I guess you feel lonely."

" No, not really." Cho did her best to appear to be lying, which was very easy to act out. Behind her hand, she made a small yawn, which brought immediate tears to her eyes. _Perfect_. Slowly, a tear slid out. " I just want to make everyone else's dance to be perfect. Just a few days ago George Weasley asked me for a bit of dating advice. I felt so flattered."

" Oh, really?" Harry pretended he knew nothing of it.

__

Just like I thought. He's pretending he doesn't know a thing, but I can see he does. He's avoiding my eyes, and he's jiggling his glasses with his hand. He does that when he's nervous or lying. Cho put her hand down, then quickly wiped at her cheek. " Harry, don't tell me he spread the news around." Cho's whisper made Harry's heart thud to a stop for a second.

__

Oh, she knows, she knows, he panicked inside his mind. " Well, he told only a _few_ people, only the boys that needed the most help. Like me."

" I'm so sorry. So that's what troubling you. It's all my fault, I shouldn't have told George anything. You're worried now because of something I said." Cho began to pace, her hands held to her chest, her fingers entwined as if in prayer. Her lips parted and she whispered: " I feel so guilty."

" It's not your fault." Harry said, hopelessly. " George always tells everything he hears. It's his fault, not yours. You were only trying to help him." His hand brushed hers in comfort, then dropped to his side. He was very uncomfortable and unsure of how to comfort her.

Cho turned her face to him, her eyes wide and filled with tears, though dimmed back now. She smiled and then took his hand in hers. She could see him relax a bit. The movement of her hand to his felt so natural to Cho. She held his hand, like a good friend comforting another. " Harry, I would like to help you. It's hard to figure out how to make a girl happy. I would know."

Harry nodded, his ears reddening.

" I mean, I haven't dated for so long now, ever since…" She gave a dramatic pause. "… well… I just haven't dated. I can still give you some advice. _Anything,_ to make up for worrying you."

" Uh… that's okay." Harry said, taking a step back. _It would be too weird to hear you tell me how to kiss Hermione, _he tried to buzz the thought into Cho's mind. " Thanks, though."

Cho had to think fast. He wasn't exactly following her plan. She snapped her fingers thoughtfully, as if, just then, an idea dawned on her. " Harry, I feel so numb, and I'm not going to the dance for sure. So, I guess I might as well be of some use to someone." She faked a great embarrassment. " I can be your practice partner. Just for a few minutes."

" A… a what?" Harry could feel his ears turn to blazing metal, unbelievably hot. He took another step back, but his heart sped up instantly.

" Practice partner. You can try a kiss on me, and I can tell you if it's good or not." Cho immediately added, her voice full of sweet reassurance: " I want to be a good friend, Harry, and good friends look out for one another. I'd hate it if you disappointed Hermione again. She's such a nice girl, and she really is lucky to have someone like you. I don't want another misunderstanding."

This struck a nerve. Harry clenched his fists, deep in thought. He unclenched them then, and said; his voice was tired and cautious: "Doesn't this count as cheating?"

" Of course not!" She laughed nervously. It sounded like a shy titter, which was just perfect. " Harry, I wouldn't dream of hurting your relationship with her. I want to _help_ you. I really want to see you both together." Another tear slid down her cheek, which she hadn't planned, but now she acknowledged it's perfect timing. She made a show of wiping it away, then she added: " Don't you trust me anymore? I thought you were my friend…" Cho began to turn away, hoping to play on his guilty feelings.

" Cho, I…" Harry was completely lost. He didn't know what to do. Some form of subconscious was warning him, but he didn't give himself to his feelings deep inside. Instead, he realized he'd be hurting Cho. After all she's been through, after everything that has happened, she was only trying to help him, and he was pushing her away as if he… hated her. _Please let me do the right choice…_He prayed deep inside, wondering if anyone ever listened to such prayers, but still doing so, because he knew that he needed any godly intervention he could to accomplish his goal – a good relationship with Hermione, and a friendship with Cho.

Cho sniffled. " Do you want my help?" The question was weighted with hidden meanings.

Harry slowly nodded. " Alright."

  
Before he could react, Cho had taken his hand and was moving quickly outside. She spotted Hermione taking her morning stroll out there just a few minutes ago.

Harry tried to say something, to mention that this was going too fast and he still needed to think about it, but before he knew it, he was standing behind the Hogwarts building, in a heavenly snow-covered scene, and Cho was pursing her lips, waiting. 

Lost, confused, his heart wanting only to please Hermione, he leaned forwards and kissed Cho. Yet, he felt absolutely nothing, not even any emotional tie, not a quivering romantic feeling like he felt when he was with Hermione. Just then…

*

A few minutes earlier __

Hermione walked briskly, her robes brushing the snow at the sides of the ploughed sidewalk (all cleared by magic, of course), the robes getting very wet from the bottom. She liked such early morning walks – it let her think and reflect. She had never felt so happy as this morning. She had Harry, all for herself, and she knew he liked her, and she liked him so much it hurt. Hermione could only envision the way their relationship was heading, what could happen in the future, and in the farthest future – as adults, as parents. It brought her cheeks to flaming hot, awkward blushes. She felt so immature thinking like this. _I really should work on my essay for Snape. If I keep delaying, I'll never finish it. _Yet, her mind always returned to Harry.

Just as she considered returning into the building, she saw someone racing towards her through the snow, a fiery red head just barely sticking out from a huge knitted scarf, credit to Mrs. Weasley. Ron, breathless but cheerful, said to Hermione: " Hi."

She smiled at him. " Hi, Ron. How are you?"

" Just great." Ron replied, taking a deep breath. " Thought I'd follow you around, I saw you leaving. Do you always walk this fast?"

" Are you always this out-of-shape?" Hermione teased.

Ron smiled at her. " Yeah, suppose I am." He straightened up and then pushed down the huge scarf from his mouth so he could speak more freely. " Can I join you?" _I'd clean toilets, the Muggle way, to be with you, Hermione._

" Sure." Hermione said, pleasantly. 

They continued their walk. Just then, they heard footsteps. Just a few meters ahead of them, a doorway burst open and two figures stumbled outside, both red-faced. They had obviously been running to hide someplace private. Suddenly, they engaged in a kiss. It wasn't an entirely romantic one, but Hermione guessed it was because they had been running and were tired, but still up to some kissing.

She felt a stab of horror. The boy turned around first to see who was standing behind them. The scar on his forehead was unmistakable, and neither was the identity of the girl beside him.

*

Author's Note: Being the cliff-hanger lover that I am, I'll stop here (for now). I borrowed a very tiny bit of the plot, in this chapter, from a manga comic known as Peach Girl. The artist is Miwa Ueda. She is commonly known for her teen angst comics. Well, the Peach Girl manga is excellent, and I do recommend it. And I apologize to my favorite manga-ka for borrowing some plot.

Now, I do wonder if the review button is functioning… it might trigger my fingers and get me to add some more…

__


	8. It's never enough

Author's Note: I do not own Harry Potter and related syndica.

..::Chapter 8::..

Hermione thought she would tear Cho in half. She saw her now, trembling slightly, her eyes wide open and dewy, her lower lip sticking out in a half-pout, half-grimace. Cho's hair was like a picture from a fashion magazine – simply cut, but with very stylized, curled-in bangs and dark red highlights, but only about six or eight of them, also very simply but fashionably intertwined between her natural black strands of hair. She really did look fabulous in general – small waist, curvy, her eyelashes were very slightly dabbed with some tinted mascara, making them a little lighter in color, which showed off her eyes very well.

Hermione couldn't explain to herself why, at first reaction, she had begun to examine Cho with a somewhat horrified expression. Then, something deep inside her contorted, twisting into a demonic arrow, squarely striking her through the heart. Her mouth fell open a while ago, and only now did venomous words escape: " Cho! What do you think you're doing?" Her hands flew outwards, ready to tear out Cho's shiny locks.

Cho pressed her face into Harry's chest, shaking with tears, her mouth spilling out counter-curses to Hermione's words: " Oh, I'm so scared Harry. I didn't think she'd - - oh, of all horrible places! Tell her, she dislikes me, I can see that!"

Harry took a step backwards, leaving a formidable area between himself and Cho. He glanced at her tear-streaked face, innocent eyes, and her worried but still kind expression. Then, his eyes shifted at Hermione – wild-eyed, her hair a mess of angry frizzles, her mouth askew as she snarled: " Harry, what poison did she feed you? What has she been telling you about me?" Her chin quivered for a second. _Get a hold of yourself. If I make a scene again, I'll probably never have a chance to be with Harry again. _She pressed her lips together into a thin, worried line.

" Hermione, you - - you don't understand. Please let me explain…" Harry said, hopelessly.

It was too late. Something had snapped in Hermione. She had suppressed a hidden rage inside of her for a while now, ever since she saw Harry and Cho together at the theater. Now she could feel it all escaping her like air deflating from a balloon. The air around them grew deathly still and the only sound remaining was Ron's confused, heavy breathing.

Hermione's hands grabbed at Cho's robes, pulling her towards her by her collar, her voice shrieking: " You witch! Why did you have to tear me and Harry apart! We were happy together!"

Cho pushed her away, sobbing harder. " Hermione, I didn't mean to. You know I'm your friend." She wiped her hand across her eyes, gathering her tears. " I didn't want to hurt you, if you'll just let Harry explain…"

" No! You probably fed him all these lies about me!" Hermione was shouting at the top of her lungs. " You must have started from the moment you both went to the theater together. _Yes,_ I saw! You don't think I'm an idiot not to suspect that…" Hermione was ready to grab Cho again, but then a figure moved in between the two girls.

" Hermione, stop it." Harry said, slowly.

She glared at him in horror.

" All Cho's ever said about you were good things. She really is just trying to help us out. She was worried over a rumor about the dance - - she… she wanted to show me the ropes about girls." Harry's voice halted to a complete stop. His explanation hadn't helped anything.

" Just because your boyfriend _died_ doesn't mean that you have to ruin **_my_** relationship!" Hermione shouted at Cho.

" How dare you?" Cho replied, in a hiss. This really did hurt her feelings. She then feigned a sob again. " No, no, please, Harry, explain it to her. Why is she being this way to me? Doesn't your girlfriend trust you at all?"

Harry's face blanched.

Hermione closed her eyes, trying to hold back tears. Then, she burst out: " **_OUR _**kiss? You had to practice for our special end-of-the-dance kiss?"

Harry suddenly felt the wave of guilt and the strange strangling of his conscience. He shouldn't have ignored his gut instinct – it was usually right, and down to the point about things. He took a step backwards, seperating himself from Cho even more. Harry's hand took Hermione's, hoping to sooth her by holding her hand. " I'm really, really sorry, Hermione. I don't know what I was thinking."

She yanked her hand from his. " Well, that makes two of us! _WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!_" Her eyes darted back to Ron, standing behind her. Ron shrugged, which wasn't of any comfort to Hermione. Hermione turned back to Harry, and in a low, eerily calm voice, she said: " Our kiss. I know what this all means. You don't have to lie to me, I know enough about how the world works to figure a thing or two out." She took a look at Cho, then another at Harry, and then turned away, taking Ron under the arm. " Have fun at the dance, you two." She said, softly, as Ron led her away.

*

Harry paced the common room. He thought about jumping out the window, but he figured that Malfoy would probably vandalize his resting-place, since it was to be conveniently on castle grounds. Instead, Harry realized he had to do something to get Hermione back. The dance was in one more day – or, the day after tomorrow. He had to act before he lost her forever. He now knew he'd been an idiot to be blinded by good intentions like that. 

Poor Cho, this must be taking an awful toll on her. She was trying so hard to help us out, but instead it ruined everything. _I didn't think that Hermione would take it so badly. I thought she'd be happy if I had gone to long lengths to make her feel good at the dance. Cho assured me that this was something the girls wanted._

He shook his head and then leaned it down on the cold marble mantle of the fireplace. He could finally understand why some boys cried in confusion because of girls. _There's just no pleasing them. Hermione's really gone off the deep end on Cho, and then… she seemed to be so alright all of a sudden, just walking away._

" How could she just walk away!" He said, aloud.

" She's a real character." A voice said behind him.

Harry spun around, ready to wreak havoc if the speaker was to dare to joke of his position. Instead, he saw that it was Ron, his best friend. Ron looked honest enough, though his fiery red hair and comical expression didn't really give off a very serious feeling. 

" You saw." Harry said, finally. " What was _your_ first thought when you saw?"

" That … you were cheating on Hermione, and that you were an idiot." Ron replied, not holding back.

Harry gave him a tight and very controlled smile, behind which he hid a broken heart. " I wasn't. Don't you believe me?"

Ron raised his eyebrows. " I don't _want_ to believe, Harry, but I saw what I saw."

" You saw the bad part of the deal with Cho."

" Deal? Or do you mean affair?" Ron crossed his arms.

" Deal!" Harry shouted. Then, he felt his stomach drop. He hadn't yelled at Ron for almost a year now, if not longer. It was like a slap in the face for the Weasley boy, who was still standing beside Harry despite his doubts. " R-Ron, please, listen me out. I'm going to go crazy if I don't get it all off my chest."

Ron's brow furrowed. He seemed a bit doubtful if he should or shouldn't listen to Harry – after all, Harry had hurt the most wonderful girl in the world. All she had and cherished in the world seemed to revolve around Harry now, and he threw it all away for… _for whom?_ _Cho?_

" I _did not_ cheat on Hermione. I would never cheat on her. She's the most amazing girl - - woman - - I've ever known. I don't want to throw it all away." Harry gushed.

" Then … WHY?"

" Cho came to me and told me that all the girls were expecting a little special something from their boyfriends on the date. She told me that Hermione would probably want a _good_ kiss, too." Harry stopped. Now he saw how really cheesy and very stupid it all sounded. _Yet, it seemed so innocent and good at first! _" … I…"

" So you let yourself do some _practice_ on Cho?" Ron uncrossed his arms and then pointed at Harry's chest. " Are you nuts? That still counts as cheating – practice, or call it what you may – it's still cheating."

" I didn't cheat." Harry whispered hotly.

" Yes you did." Ron replied. " Maybe not exactly on purpose, but in extent, you did cheat on Hermione. Now, what's important is how to get her to see the truth."

" We have to get Cho and Hermione back on friendly turf, too. Cho just wanted to help Hermione. She even called her a 'great girl'."

" What she says and what she means is really quite different." Ron replied.

" Are you trying to say that - - that she set this all up?" Harry laughed bitterly. " She has nothing to gain through all this."

" Yes she does. _You." _Ron made a movement with his hands in the 'quote-quote' symbol. ""_THE_ great boy who lived", "THE Harry Potter"."

Harry rolled his eyes. " Cho wouldn't do that. She's practically suffering from Cedric. She wouldn't just forget him in one instant and then find someone else in the next. She's never said or done anything, as of yet, to even remotely hint that she wants to have _me._" Harry wasn't exactly telling the truth. Cho had told him that girls would go to great heights to have someone like Harry. _But she wouldn't._

" Whatever, Harry." Ron replied. " I just want to help you and Hermione patch up, that's all." He held his hands up in a sign of innocence. " I don't have a white flag, but you can consider me neutral here for now."

Harry smiled. " Why are you doing this for me?"

Ron didn't try to mask his feelings. " I want Hermione happy. Be it with you, but she's going to have to be happy. It makes _me_ happy." He turned his face away from Harry's. " Now, let's start on a plan, we really need to figure out something here."

*

Hermione found Neville, after a lot of searching, and she immediately greeted him with an anxious and very satisfied hug. Neville turned about four shades of red and then struggled away from her. He'd lost some weight over the summer, but he still looked rather round on the face, and when he turned red, he achieved the tomato-effect. If taken out of context, the situation would have been comical. " Uh… H-Hermione…" He stammered.

" Hello, Neville." She said, sweetly.

Neville grinned back, not daring to speak and waken from his glorious dream.

" Oh, you look so surprised." Hermione teased. " You do know why I'm here?"

" Uh…"

" Yep. Our date." Hermione could feel a dull ache inside of her. The ache threatened to make her cry just then, but it would look odd if she were crying in pain while asking a boy out. She straightened Neville's collar and added: " You do remember when you asked me about a date?"

" Well…"

" Good. I hope you're still serious about it." She dug into her pocket and pulled out two tickets to the dance. " See this, Neville?"

" Y-yes, I…"

She gave him a very intimidating but powerful smile. " Do you think you can make it to the dance? It's just a while away. I'm afraid my date is… pre-occupied."

" Oh, gladly, you…"

" So then it's set!" Hermione wondered whether to kiss his cheek or to give him her hand so he could kiss it. Instead, she simply shrugged and then added: " So… anything else?"

" Why so suddenly?" Neville asked.

" What do you mean?"

" I figured you'd need some time to, uh, think about it. You just went right ahead and said yes, didn't you?" Neville couldn't have looked more pleased about it, either. " I… I…" He slowly began to turn. Hermione noticed what he had been doing – he had been trying to mask something about his back.

" What happened?" Hermione asked him.

He was completely turned around now. There was a small, red-eyed bush baby clenching hard at his robes from the back, squeaking uncomfortably. Its sharp nails were probably puncturing right through the material and into his body.

" Oh, dear! How did you manage to do this?"

" I dropped my wand and it turned into the monkey." Neville replied. " I really can't explain it at the moment, can you just… get it off me?" He laughed nervously.

" Sure!" She laughed and peeled the monkey off and then tapped her wand on it, casting a simple spell that reverted the object to its original state. " There, its good as new." Hermione lifted the wand from the floor and handed it to Neville. He didn't take it until she shook it and showed that it wasn't alive.

" Thanks." He took it and pushed it into his pocket. They remained, face to face, in silence.

" Well, I'll see you at the dance then." Hermione said, softly.

" What happened to Harry?" Neville asked.

Hermione had forgotten. A bit earlier that day, he'd stopped her in the hall and she told him all about how Harry and Hermione were going to go to the dance. Now she felt sick in the stomach. _No wonder he was so surprised._ "Harry would prefer someone else's company." Hermione replied.

Neville looked very surprised. 

" How about your Yuletide Friend? Is she recovering well?" Hermione asked.

" I'm glad to say that she healed from the _last_ incident, but..."

" Oh! What now?" Hermione couldn't help but sound cross.

" I went to visit her and ended up turning her glasses into a melon. She's madly allergic to them. She broke out in hives." Neville bit his lower lip. " I didn't mean to, I really didn't. You do understand, don't you?" 

" Of course." Hermione couldn't help but feel afraid. _He'll kill me before the date is over._

*

A/N: While Harry and Ron make plans, it seems Hermione has taken matters into her own hands. She isn't the type of girl to sit and weep, after all. She's far too strong to just give up on everything. Thank goodness Neville is around to keep her spirits somewhat up though – but for how long?

Lastly, what is Ron's excellent plan to win back Hermione for Harry… and will Hermione even live through Neville's accident-prone date life to see it?

And is Cho going to sit back and forget it?

And will I be nice enough to update within two days? ***grins warmly* **Most likely, dears. Oh, and this is the first chapter that my cousin Alex beta-read. She's two years older, so I figure that would make her a good Beta-Reader. I think she did a good job, I am not entirely sure.


	9. Hold a leaf up to the light

Author's Note: I do not own Harry Potter and related syndica.

..::Chapter 9::..

Harry woke up the next day and saw that it was raining. Actually, that was an understatement. Thick, bloated raindrops spattered the roof and windowsills of Hogwarts with such ferocity that Harry couldn't fathom how such an ill-foreboding day could promise him good luck. He pressed down a cowlick of particular annoyance to his forehead, then sighed as it made its way up again. 

Heaving himself up from his bed, he began to dress. He dressed blindly, but he was lucky enough to have laid out a color-coordinated outfit the night before. Not that it mattered – his Gryffindor robes slipped right over his clothing anyhow. This was it – the day before the big night. If he didn't try his hardest at fulfilling the plan, he'd lose Hermione forever, and Ron might distance himself too. After checking himself over in the mirror, Harry began to head for the dining hall. 

He was going to be early – in fact, a few boys were still sleeping. He wanted to have enough time to ready himself and to steady his frayed nerves. This was going to be a tough day.

..::…

Breakfast smelled delicious – the promising hashed scent of bacon, the fond smell of chicken soup, the essence of warm milk, and the ever-present warm, slightly buttered buns. Hermione loved the scent of mornings much more then evenings, when she was tired and grumbled her whole way through the meal, in particular annoying herself with images of kitchen elves slaving over boiling pots and steamy stoves. _Yet another thing Harry can't understand about me. Who needs him, anyway? _

I do. She pushed aside the startling answer and concentrated on how good a bowl of oatmeal and a bun sounded. She sat down at the near-empty table and then smoothened her skirt out so that it wouldn't crease when she sat. 

She leaned forwards, a sleeve of her robe trailing across a tray of sausage rolls, and she grasped a bun for herself. Then, she lifted a bowl of oatmeal from a prepared silver platter. The mealtimes still began at the regular time, but a lot of students were busy partying and having fun to wake up in time for it. That's why there was still much choice. Hermione couldn't help but bristle at the graphic images of Seamus, Ron, Fred, and George having food-eating contests, seemingly trying to figure out how to disgust girls quickest.

Hermione tasted the white frosting on the bun with the tip of her tongue before she bit in. It really was a very sweet reminder of how much she loved mornings. She closed her eyes, and with a delighted smile playing on her lips, she turned her head to the side to see if anyone else was at the table enjoying a bun as well. She thought it would be nice to marvel along with them at how great the buns were.

With a scowl, she realized that other then a few students she didn't really know, Harry was the only other student sitting at the table. He seemed to sit secluded, at the very end, but she knew better then to feel sorry for him. _He should be the one feeling sorry for me. No wait, he shouldn't, because I'm perfectly happy now._

Hermione's eyes closed again and she turned her head back so she was staring straight forwards. _If I bore a hole in the wall with my eyes, I'll stay like this. No way will Harry catch me looking at him._

She ate in silence as the room slowly filled up with students. There weren't many people sitting around her, though, and so Hermione felt surprised when suddenly someone tapped her on the shoulder. She looked up and saw Ron. Ron smiled. " Hi."

" Hey, Ron." She scooted over so he had room to sit, but he shook his head.

" I just want to ask you something. Well, more of a favor, really."

" What is it?" Hermione asked, startled.

" See me out by the lake right after breakfast. I need to talk to you." Ron then patted her shoulder and walked away.

Hermione felt a bit puzzled. _What could Ron possibly want to say to me that he can't say here at the table?_ However, it also intrigued her, so she decided to go.

…::…

Hermione walked briskly towards the lake. It was cold outside and she knew as a fact that just standing by the water would make the temperature colder then usual. As she busied herself thinking about such things, the wind suddenly blew so fiercely her scarf flew across the ground in angry tumbles and then submerged in the water. She shivered, realizing she disliked going into water, and this particular water wasn't helping anything by also being abnormally cold. 

She found a good-sized stick and tried to fish it out and finally succeeded. She held the sopping wet scarf in her hands and then a miserable feeling crossed through her. It felt so hopeless and stupid to just stand there, and yet… there was a need for her to be there, at that point and time, that she didn't really understand. It was a sub-conscious sort of thing. Her fingers needed gloves badly, she realized suddenly – the wind was stinging horribly and she hated to have chapped fingers, even more then chapped lips.

" Hermione?" A voice questioned.

__

Just like Ron, to walk up to you from behind like that, Hermione thought angrily, for the voice had startled her and sent a shiver up her back. She turned around, ready to give him a light hearted scolding, and was surprised to see Harry standing there instead.

" Harry, I…" She frowned angrily. " … this _will not_ stand. I'm going inside."

She turned on her heels, heading for Hogwarts, when he took her elbow. He didn't speak, he simply turned her around so that she was looking him dead in the eye. Her chin trembled but she gave him a brave, satisfied glare. " Don't you dare try anything funny. I'm not _anything_ like Cho." She yanked away from him, but he held on tight.

She kept staring at his eyes. There it was – now she recognized it. Harry hardly ever had that horribly sad, dragged-over-coals look that he had at the moment. His eyes seemed to have been made of crystalline dried sap – flaky and wax-like, completely devoid of the original green sparkle and now holding a dulled herbal-tea colored green. This look had been there before, once or twice – when he had retold the story of Cedric's death, and when half the school went against him and wore rebellious "Potter Stinks" badges. 

Harry's stomach dropped and he looked at his feet, breaking the eye contact. He figured that now Hermione had used some of her feminine sixth sense and rationalized that Harry really was sorry – at fault or not. His fingers loosened on her elbow, knowing that she wouldn't run, not now, and leave him in this depressed state. " Harry, listen to me." She said, finally, reluctantly. _Don't show him you miss him or feel bad for him, that only encourages him._

He looked at her with a piteous little grimace on his face. Her stomach squeezed. " I saw what I saw. I…"

" It was an accident!"

" How do you kiss someone by accident?" She demanded.

" Well, alright! If you just let me explain it all from the beginning…" 

" First!" Hermione interrupted. " Tell me the truth. Are you seeing Cho behind my back? No lies, no sweet talk… I want brutal truth, no matter how much it will hurt to hear."

" No." Harry whispered. " Hermione, I'd never see anyone behind your back. I… love you."

She felt her eye twitch in discomfort. Her eyes slowly moved down to his feet. " Well… I'd never see anyone behind your back, and if you know what you're doing, Harry, you wouldn't promise me _anything_ false right now."

" I'm telling you the truth." Harry replied.

" Alright, Harry. Tell me everything, then." Hermione said softly.

He nodded and began: " Remember when you saw me and Cho on a "date"? I heard her crying in a room, and I went to talk to her, and I just asked her to come with me as a sign of comfort." Harry was about to continue on and on, but he wouldn't have had a chance. Someone was running at full-speed towards them, waving their hands angrily.

Hermione turned and saw it was Cho. 

Harry scratched the back of his head, embarrassed, and then said: " What is it?"

Cho took a deep breath and then pointed at Hermione. " She's a liar, Harry! Don't listen to her!"

" How dare you!" Hermione exploded. " How dare you call _me_ a liar when you - - you are the ultimate liar!" She stomped her foot down and then added, threateningly: " I thought I told you to leave me and Harry alone. Whatever it is you wanted to do, whatever were your intentions – they are still unwanted. So, without further ado, leave _US ALONE!"_

Cho raised her eyebrows. " My intentions were only to help Harry, and they have nothing to do with you."

" Cho, what are you doing here?" Harry was getting a bit frustrated.

Cho's lower lip quivered and jutted out in a very sweet way. Her eyelashes batted as she whispered: " Harry, Hermione's lying to you. Whatever she tells you now, she's the real cheater. I have proof!" She raised a paper that was in her hand.

Hermione rolled her eyes. " Whatever that is, it's obviously forged. I think you really need help, Cho."

She glared at Hermione and read from the top of the paper: " Dear Hermione, I hope our date is still on. I hope Harry doesn't find out though, he might be mad at me. I think he still likes you no matter what. Oh, the big chair in the common room has a broken leg now so don't try to sit on it or it will fall over. Well anyway thank you for making the date with me, I really hope to see you, Neville."

Hermione shook her head. " Cho, that is really low…"

Cho turned to Harry, tears in her eyes. " I can't believe she did this to you, Harry, and with _Neville!_ You never cheated on her, but she ended up being the one that cheated on you!" 

Harry's face was very red now. He shook his head and looked at Hermione.

" And - - get this. I have sources saying that Hermione was seeing Neville even before … the unfortunate incident." She put on a sad display and then took Harry's hand, patting it. " I'm really sorry to be the one bringing this news, but I couldn't bear watch Hermione dig her nails into you again. She… she had to go and ruin everything for you, from the beginning!"

Harry was confused and bewildered. He looked from Cho to Hermione, unsure of what to do.

" Cho's the one that's lying! She's the one that's wrapping her slimy tentacles around you!" Hermione whispered hoarsely. " The only time Neville and I ever agreed on going on a date was yesterday, right after you and I had that horrible fight!" She looked weakened, as if someone had struck her a blow.

" How can you even say things like that?" Cho began to cry, softly and gently. She pressed her head down onto Harry's shoulder and then began to speak: " Ever since I saw you breaking Harry's heart by refusing him, I knew something was up. Then, you probably got jealous when he was taking me to the theater. I knew you were jealous, you cruel, cruel…" She shook her head and discontinued, simply adding: " How dare you do this to Harry?"

Harry couldn't stand it. He disliked seeing Cho cry, and she cried so bitterly and honestly that he knew that she couldn't be lying. _She would never jeopardize my relationship with Hermione unless she had a reason. After all, she doesn't want to date me, so the only possible reason for her to do this is to help me._
    
    " Hermione, I…" He frowned. " I can't handle all these ups and downs anymore. I just don't think I can go on."

He took another look at Cho, and beneath her tear-streaked cheeks and glossy eyes was an encouraging and gentle smile.

" I think it's time we should just break up." 

Harry's tone was so icy it could have cut Hermione's heart in half.

~*~

Author's Note: I just feel like stopping here. I feel sort of ill, for the past few days I've been feeling fairly badly, so I don't want my illness to reflect in my writing. So I'm stopping before this gets long and monotonous, since I just simply _can't_ think any longer.

Please review, and thank you for reading.

Tune in next time - - you saw it here first. "Moonlight."

((unless you are familiar with Peach Girl, you might pick up some like references)).


	10. watch the thread-thin veins

Author's Note: I don't own Harry Potter or anything else. I am **_so_** tired of saying this.

Chapter 10

Hermione didn't feel like waking up, ever again. She wished she could die peacefully in her sleep so as not to have to face this day. _Oh come on, it's not like this is your funeral. It's a dance. Be merry and festive._ She lifted her head from the pillow slightly so that she had a rather sideways view of the room. She smiled. _Why do I always do that? Look before I act? It's not like it ever helped me. _

She stood up and quickly dressed and then rushed through the Gryffindor common room. She was thankful, for once, that she got up before anyone else did, so that she didn't have to run into any people on the way out. She made sure to make very few, if any sounds. 

There was a festive feeling in the dining hall. The teachers were up all night, it seemed, using the best of their magical abilities to spruce the old place up. Hermione thought it looked amazing – cascading silver and blue streamers with little holograms projecting stars and the moon against the 'sky', or the dining hall's ceiling. And then, there were the tables, trimmed with red carnations and midnight blue streamers, and lastly, the dance floor, also reflecting stars and the moon, shimmering and moving in the illusion of waves across the floor. It was all a very lovely illusion created by a few spells, but it still made Hermione feel proud of her school.

__

I guess I'll just grab a bun from the table and get out of here. I don't feel like talking with anyone. She took a bun from the table and then began to stroll through the hallways, not really going anywhere, but not wanting to stay in one place.

She was beginning to feel a bit lighter, more comfortable inside, when Ron suddenly walked out of the boy's bathroom and they ended up looking at each other from across the hallway. " Hi!" He said, finally, giving her a friendly smile. Something seemed odd about him, though, as if a part of him had broken and fallen away deep inside and he was trying not to show it.

" How's everything?" Hermione asked him. _How's Harry?_

" Well, everything is about the same." Ron replied. " I thought I should talk to you about Harry."

She felt defensive. " Not you too, Ron!"

" No, listen to me." Ron said, raising his voice, trying to keep himself calm, but at the same time showing that he was very serious about their subject matter. " I don't think you realize the truth here."

" Oh, I don't, do I?" Hermione replied. " Harry doesn't trust me at all. He… he denies it, but I think he cheated on me. Then, he didn't trust me when I told him the truth. I don't want to listen to any more talk about how good he is, or how wonderful his intentions were. It loses its meaning after being repeated so often. I don't think I can ever be with him again."

Ron shook his head. " You're the one that's having trust issues."

"What?" She exclaimed, ready to laugh at him if this was another silly whim.

" No, really! You didn't trust him from the first place, Hermione. You didn't trust that he'd want to hang out with you. You didn't trust him when he… and Cho… you know. You didn't trust him enough to listen him out whenever he tried to explain things to you – you always mistook it for the worst." Ron said, giving an effective jab into Hermione's chest with his finger.

She grimaced. " You're out of your mind, Ron. **_Way_** out of your mind."

" Or am I exactly right?" He questioned.

" No, you're not." She turned away from him, angry to have Ron tell her these things when she knew them; deep inside, on her own, but she didn't want these thoughts to surface.

Ron persisted: " Don't you see? You know as well as I do that Harry just isn't being himself. Cho's being an extra wench lately, too." He leaned against the wall, pushing his hands into his pockets. " I'm not going to say Harry's innocent, because he's really a total knucklehead to make any contact at all with Cho while going out with you. I'd never do that." Ron whispered the last bit in a heated way.

Hermione raised her eyebrows, skeptical. 

" In fact, I _am_ mad at him, but I still want to help him out. You're both my friends and I don't want to tear everything apart because of Cho. She's really scheming things, you saw it yourself. Don't tell me you didn't?"

Hermione didn't tell him she didn't, but she didn't say she did either. Her face seemed to grow a new, more understanding expression that showed Ron she was willing to listen in further.

" Cho wrapped Harry around her finger. She led him into a little maze, see." Ron didn't know how to word it exactly but he did his best to. " She led him on to the point that he didn't know the real _you _or the real Cho, he just couldn't see past the maze of confusion she made, like some sort of spider web of mistrust." Ron's eyes flickered angrily and he continued: " Harry doesn't really know the truth from the lies anymore. I guess he is just too confused about everything. That's why he broke up with you – he just didn't know what to do, who to believe."

" See? He's choosing Cho over me already!" Hermione shouted.

Ron rolled his eyes. " Harry didn't choose Cho, she chose him, and now she's not going to let go. She's practically impaled her nails into him and she's holding on with all her might." He shook his head in distaste. " We have to make her back off because Harry's too polite and too kind to do anything, while I know you have some spirit left."

She smiled and nodded.

" Hermione, I'm going to begin from the start. I heard your story, I heard Harry's, and I've even heard a bit of Cho's woeful tale from Fred. She came to Fred and told him this whole bogus story from her point of view, and so if Fred is a bit mean to you, then that's why." Ron gathered his thoughts for a while and then began explaining things, integrating her side, Harry's, and Cho's, until they figured out what it was that had finally led them to this point – all the confusing mishaps and creative misunderstandings that started a warpath between Harry and Hermione.

…::…

The dance floor was slowly ebbing to life as students gathered, taking their seats with their partners at four-person tables. People had either come on double dates or they met up with another pair to enjoy a table. Draco Malfoy was sitting with Lavender and Goyle and Parvati – Padma was unlucky enough to receive Crabbe. However, it seemed they were actually somewhat enjoying their company, and in fact, it appeared that they were laughing and making jokes. Of course, Draco was looking a bit glum as usual, staring at his plate thoughtfully, only looking around from time to time to make a crude joke about how stupid a certain Gryffindor looked, or how sorry he felt for those paired with Mud-bloods. At those times, Lavender and Parvati cringed, but at least they were glad that they could sit with another female at a table. Besides, Draco Malfoy might have looked down at them all a bit, but it was hard for a girl to not acknowledge that he was, at least, handsome.

Hermione sat at a table at the far corner, preferring her own company to that of anyone else's. Ron had later on come to sit by her, for they had much to discuss as to how they would try to patch things up with Harry. Ron promised that he had tried speaking to Harry, but Harry had decided to come to the dance with Cho, because 'she began to cry on his shoulder in pain knowing that she was going to be alone for the evening, and would Harry be a good friend and take her along?'.

Ron said it didn't look very promising at the moment. Cho had managed to push in a lot of things into Harry about how Hermione, though a great girl, was just not his type, and that she didn't trust him. Then she turned tables and added that Hermione obviously never wanted to be with him anyway, that she had resisted him from the start and only wanted him back when he began to enjoy Cho's presence. At this point, Harry was acting like a woefully depressed pincushion. Cho was sticking the needles in, blaming the pain on Hermione, and then she pretended to be the one that was slowly easing the needles back out again, making Harry feel affection for her, which teetered on the edge of becoming adoration.

" Goodness, see how she hangs all over him?" Hermione whispered to Ron angrily.

Cho and Harry had arrived, and she was dressed in a gorgeous floor-length black gown, slinky and perfectly outlining her rather well defined curves, shimmering like a black winter wonderland on her skin. Harry, meanwhile, looked a lot older and much more handsome, with a very well-crafted black tuxedo and a white shirt beneath, which he credited to a quick withdrawal of money from Gringotts and a stop at a very expensive wizard tailor. Cho's neckline dropped rather low for Hermione's taste, and she tended to pronounce her breasts even more by leaning forwards and whispering into Harry's ear, as if she couldn't manage speaking in a normal manner.

Hermione tried not to show any anger. She gritted her teeth and glanced at Ron, who seemed positively carefree, sipping gently at a glass of fizzy water and pretending it was something more elegant, such as champagne. " How can he stand her? Can he really not see what her aim is? She obviously just wants _him._"

Ron placed the glass down. He looked really nice himself. His freckles had lightened, faded into his skin slightly, and his red hair was combed down and elegant, in a very cute way. It was hard not to notice that he was handsome too, but in a different way than Harry or Draco Malfoy would be. He was handsome in a non-stuffy, non-regal way, sort of like a rugged cowboy sort of handsome. She found herself liking the look, but she could never feel much more for Ron than a brotherly love. Ron spoke without any trace of worry to his voice: " She can flaunt it if she wants. Cho should enjoy her night with Harry, it would be the last." Suddenly, he realized something. " Where's Neville? Isn't he you date…?"

Hermione nodded. " He said he'll arrive ten minutes into the dinner part of the dance, because he's visiting his Yuletide Friends Partner in the hospital wing."

Ron laughed. " I hope he doesn't botch things up again."

She laughed too and then looked into Ron's eyes. " Why did you just abandon your evening? What happened to _your_ date?"

" We just didn't click." Ron replied. " Really, I think I've explained it all to you anyway."

Hermione didn't take his words as a reasonable answer. " You could have found another girl. Lots of girls wanted to come here, and a couple of the guys went to Hogsmeade instead, so they were stuck pairing up and coming together as just friends. I'm sure any one of them would have liked going with you."

" I didn't think it would be right to leave you alone." Ron said, admittedly. " I wanted to keep an eye peeled, just in case Cho tries anything funny."

She felt sad suddenly, sad for Ron in a way that she could not help out with. Instead of letting him know that she felt this way, she said: " Thank you."

" You're welcome." Ron replied cheerfully. " And look. Dinner's starting. I guess I'll just move on to a different table so you and Neville can enjoy a good dinner. He's a lucky guy." He gave her a big smile again.

Hermione smiled back, equally large grin. " I'm a lucky girl. To have a friend like you, I mean." She then watched him sit down at a table where Seamus Finnigan and another boy sat. They all engaged in a lively conversation, which showed that Hermione didn't have to worry much about Ron being lonely.

Food appeared in front of everyone, and Hermione quickly did a 'duplicate' spell in order to make another plate appear in front of the seat opposite of her, for Neville. Just as she began to eat, Neville plopped himself down in the seat in front of her. " Hermione." He managed to utter. He was horribly out of breath and saying her name served as an appropriate enough greeting.

She grimaced. " You look like you've seen a ghost."

" I _will _be a ghost if my Yuletide Partner ever sees **me** again." Neville said, finally.

" What now?" She didn't mean to sound irritated, but she was. "Did you turn her into a pig or something?"

" No, no, nothing like that." Neville said, then sighed. " Okay, I guess giving her a snout would count as turning her into a pig… Madame Pomfrey beaned me in the back of the head with a pillow afterwards and told me to leave before she has me expelled. She confiscated my wand. She says its really malfunctioning." Neville grinned in an embarrassed way. " So, what did I miss?"

" Only Dumbledore's introductory speech. It wasn't worth hearing. Well… _maybe_ the part where Dumbledore bent over, and Malfoy made a fart noise with his hand. At least, I think it was him, but then he, Crabbe and Goyle all burst into laughter and it was impossible to figure out which of the eggheads did it."

Neville laughed. " They're really insane. I wonder what makes them disregard school rules."

" Malfoy's too rich to care." Hermione replied, then suddenly stopped listening in to Neville as he explained another ordeal with a more recent misfortunate accident. She saw that Cho and Harry had taken a seat and Cho was giving Harry the eye, and talking to him in a low and sexy voice. It was infuriating her, and she resisted the urge to grab her chair and whack Cho into next week.

__

I'm not normally violent, but I think I'll have to pull out my brass knuckles if she dares do anything funny. She can't! Not before I can get Harry to come outside with me so I can tell him everything, tell him the truth.

…::…

Author's Note: Yes, I am **_very_** nice for updating often enough to keep my readers sated. Now, with this healthy and rather beefy and wordy introduction to the dance, I hope you keep reading. By the way, I am feeling _much_ better, I think I can write for ages. But, alas, that would really ruin this story if I typed it all out and didn't leave any sort of cliffhanger. Besides, slow and steady wins the race. I think everyone likes to read up to a big climax instead of having the action tossed into your face at the very beginning.

Ay, I will cry in joy. I am getting so many reviews! I love you all! _Te quiero! _Anyhow, if you were all wondering when a new chapter would appear on the horizon, I'd say keep wondering.

If you insist, Send me a self-addressed, stamped envelope with 500 dollars, and I will be **_very _**eager to… ah, just kidding. Come back within a week. It should be up within 3 or 4 days though. I'm in a good mood! 

Meanwhile I'll be looking up pictures of Orlando Bloom and Gackt online… *X files music plays*… HEY! That's normal! I'm a 15-year-old girl!

Aaaa! I know that I made an ungodly amount of mistakes with the then/than in this one, and my cousin didn't betaread this time because she's got this busy schedule. Instead she told me to do it myself. Aw I suck so bad. I should go back to Poland and write Polish fan fiction. Then I know it will be perfect, no?


	11. Illusions I Create

Author's Note: I don't own Harry Potter. Back off. 

…::Chapter 11::…

The meal had gone by uneventful. Though Hermione could have said more about the sorry sight of Cho being her absolute, most sugary sweetest around Harry, she decided to keep herself composed and to enjoy a conversation with Neville. Neville seemed to have a lot to talk about, and most of what he said didn't very much relate to making mistakes or being part of accidents, collisions, or other misfortunes of that sort. This could have been taken as a sign that Neville was undoubtedly a slight different than Hermione thought, if not for the mildly amusing little leaflet of green spinach that had wedged itself between Neville's front teeth. She didn't know how to tell him, and she realized he'd take her for a lunatic if she made scraping movements at her front teeth with a fork, so she stuck to narrowing the conversation to grim, serious stories. _The less he smiles, the better for him._

She heard the brief echo of Harry's laughter reaching her ears. Cho had told a joke, it seemed, or perhaps Harry was laughing at one of his own jokes. Hearing this, Hermione bit her tongue accidentally as she ate a spoonful of ice cream. " Bloody hell." She whispered to herself, wondering if it would be appropriate to stick her tongue out and inspect the damage. _I might as well bleed internally to death, though._

Neville's voice rose suddenly as he asked: " You seem so distracted."

Hermione stared blankly at his face. " Huh?"

He sighed. " Never mind." His spoon slid into the half-melted slush of his ice cream. He seemed to be lost in thought for a second. Then, he spoke again: " What are you thinking about?"

Hermione looked at him thoughtfully. " I'm thinking about table manners." _Partially true, and it sounds fairly elegant._

Neville looked disappointed but the look melted away into a grin. " Guess what I'm thinking about."

__

That maybe you should check a mirror about that thing between your teeth?

" What?" She asked, seeing that he expected a verbal answer.

" You." Neville's ears turned reddish, then he added, nervously: " You kind of amaze me, you know? I bet it's really hard for you… I can put two and two together. Harry and Cho, right?" His eyes moved downward to his plate and he seemed lost in thought, before continuing: " It's just amazing that you're so collected, and so strong, after something like that. Not a lot of girls are like that."

Hermione felt herself smiling and she said: " Well, thanks. I have my own ways to release tension." _Like nuclear, steaming meltdowns inside my brain, but outside I look unruffled._

" I bet you're peeved inside." Neville said. " I feel that way a lot."

" Oh?" Hermione had to admit that surprised her.

" I can't do anything right. I trip all over myself wherever I go. I try to look like it's no big deal, like I'm used to it, but each time, I just practically _hate_ myself for it." He spoke to her in a low voice. Then, he added, more audibly: " I don't let it get to me that much, though. I mean, after a few years of it, you have to accept yourself, no matter what." He looked saddened again. " My grandmother tells me my father was the clumsy one, but he used to get really stressed about it. She thinks I got the calm genes from my mother's side of the family."

Hermione didn't know how to reply. Thankfully, the deserts suddenly disappeared into thin air and the tables were cleared completely, so the dark black wood with well-done finish was gleaming in the candlelight of the room. A small candleholder appeared on each table, looking immersed in the dark wood. The candles, tall and grim-looking, were gleaming against the table's lacquer finish, but it was a losing battle. The tables were so well-polished it appeared that the candles were trapped inside the black depths of the wood grains, shining from the inside like a beacon in a storm.

Dumbledore's voice rang from the podium on a small pedestal near the dance area: " Students can feel free to dance at any time."

Nobody seemed to get up to go to dance. Cho had enough eagerness in her for the whole room, and her excitement drenched over onto Harry as she grabbed him under the elbow and gestured towards the dance parquet. Hermione knew eavesdropping wasn't polite, but she couldn't help but listen in to their conversation:

" Oh, come on." This was Cho. _That impertinent ape! May her fleas eat her alive!_

Harry's voice was a bit nervous: " I'm not … I don't really know how to dance."

" Nonsense. People are _born_ to dance." Cho's voice oozed with sweetness. " I bet you're the most amazing dancer here, Harry. Let's show Hermione how dumb she was to take Longbottom instead of you."

This notion invigorated Harry a bit. " Well…"

" She'll be sitting the whole evening out, after all. You can't let her know that you're aching." Cho said to him. " She's really a _great_ girl…" Cho sounded tired of this not-so-convincing speech: "… but sometimes girls like her just aren't the dating type, and we should show her that she didn't hurt you at all. If you look unshaken, she's not going to come worming her way back in again just to drop you like a hot frying pan."

Hermione wanted to stand up and then have a face-off with Cho at this point. She just waited, instead, for Harry's response.

" Cho, I think you've got Hermione all wrong. I mean, maybe she _isn't_ ready for dating, but … I don't think she deliberately would try to hurt me. She's not the type of girl to prey on a guy until he's bent in two." Harry's voice sounded strained, as if he might begin to have second thoughts about his words, even as he spoke. 

" Harry, if you're going to be naïve and ignore all the evidence, then fine. But please be naïve on your own time. I feel like dancing. I want to be a _good_ friend for you, one that actually cares to make you happy." Cho's eyes darted to Hermione, silent and sharp daggers into Hermione's back, and then she took Harry and walked him to the dance floor. Though, judging from the slouched, resistant pace he was keeping behind her, she was mostly reeling him in, like an anchor entrapped in coral.

They began to dance and Cho, slinky and cat-like in her sparkling black dress, looked like a goddess from an old wall painting on alabaster stone burial tombs in ancient lands. Her, dancing lone on the parquet with Harry Potter, was the large triumph for her – their first public appearance as a couple, whether Harry knew it yet or not.

Hermione thought she'd throw up. _I can't let her have this moment. I can't let her think I'll just sit back and watch her putz around with Harry while I sip fizzy water with Neville Longbottom. I can't let her feel the winner and I the loser, because she's having fun on that dance floor._

'Fun' wasn't the word. Cho's seductive, swaying hips and slender, long legs moved swiftly and expertly across the dance floor as old classical dance music rang clearly through the room, as if a live orchestra was performing. Everyone seemed slightly awed, as if this dance was reserved just for Cho and Harry. Worst of all, Cho's dancing had Harry entrapped – he seemed to look rather delighted as she led him as the leading partner. She twirled and then did fancy step moves and within seconds Harry would catch on and follow in step with her.

What Hermione hated to admit was that Cho was a very good dancer and so was Harry, and that their dancing was fluent and fit together like two pieces of a long-lost synchronized dancing pair. Just as the song slowed and another began to play its first notes, Hermione stood and looked at Neville in a pleading but at the same time demanding way. 

" I can't dance, Hermione." Neville said, right off. " I'll just make a fool of myself, and I'll make a fool of you while I'm at it!"

" Don't be silly." She said surely, but she was feeling worried despite her words. " I bet we'll be fine."

" I don't want to embarrass you." He looked so saddened that Hermione nearly gave up.

Then, the sight of Harry and Cho beginning another dance, this time a slow dance, her body being a tad to close to Harry's than Hermione would like, was enough to prompt the devil out of Hermione if it had to. She took Neville's hand and dragged him to the dance floor. He looked puzzled and then slightly upset. " Why are you so insisting?"

Hermione couldn't explain. Now that they were in front of everyone, she was going to try and appear like she was having fun. She had Neville place a hand on her hip, another her shoulder, then she placed her hands accordingly on him, and they began to dance. It was a rather formal way to dance, but it was the only way she knew. _One step forwards, two to the left, half-turn…_

She wanted to cry, her feet hurt, her stomach hurt, and she was trying hard not to cry. Neville was trying his hardest not to fumble so his movements were very tense and almost robotic. She, meanwhile, was shuffling around rather clumsily, sometimes missing a beat, other times moving off key to the music. _Like two monkeys released onto a dance parquet._ She caught sight of Cho. Her eyes glinted with a suppressed laughter. She said to her, finally: " Hermione, dear, maybe your feet are just too big for this kind of dance. I think you'd be good for fast dancing. Wouldn't she be, Harry?" Cho, trying to be sweet, took a low and pathetic jab at Hermione's feet.

__

My feet. I thought they were fine. Okay, so they are size nine and a half, while Cho is a perfect size six, I bet. Small, pretty feet, small pretty body, small pretty face, small pretty **everything**. Then, as if on cue, she stepped onto the front of her dress's hem and a ripping sound filled the air. Hermione stared down in shock and horror at the front of her dress, just below her stomach. The area where the top of her dress was sewn to the torso-area, and the tunic-like top, was separated from the skirt-like bottom almost entirely. A big, open gash revealed her white slip underneath, and since her slip had ridden down, a rather large portion of her pink-colored underwear. She felt as if she was going to die just then, simply drop dead to the floor, screaming bloody murder. Then, perhaps some godly being in the heavens would pity her and let her melt into a puddle of sulfuric acid.

She stood there, and the room seemed to freeze for a moment. Everyone could see, everyone _knew_, everyone **saw**. Then, everything blurred as she ran from the room. As she slammed the doors closed again and then raced down the hall and out the Hogwarts doors, not really heading anywhere, she didn't allow herself to cry.

As she crossed the thickets and ran wildly through the grass, half-tripping over the drooping front of her dress, she couldn't cry. The blades of grass made wet, slice-like marks across her dress. Her shoes squished in the muddied ground under the melting snow, and then her shoes would stamp down on her dress, leaving footprints. 

Finally, she reached the lake, the place where she had tried to speak with Harry before. She felt weak and ill and tired, and also jealous and furious and embarrassed, all at the same time, and it was such a horrible, pounding, overwhelming feeling that it all seemed to cancel each other and simply leave a numbness. She glanced at the water, still other then some moving ripples. The moon was high above, casting wayward pathways of light across the water, as if it were the surface of glass.

These white crest tips bobbed up and down, appearing and reappearing in the water. _The cat laps up the reflection of the moon from his water bowl, thinking it milk. _The old proverb echoed through her mind looking at the calm water. She took a look upwards at the moon. It was ageless, white, glowing, large and full today. It shone in a saddened way across a clear, cloudless sky. Hermione looked down at her dress again and she waded slowly until she was ankle-deep in the freezing-cold water. _I'll get sick_. The thought popped up in her mind but didn't register. A shiver went through her body. Slowly, she ripped off the rest of the hanging dress part, so she was stuck with a white lacy slip that reached her knees and the top of her dress, almost like a blouse. She took the skirt of the dress and threw it into the water.

The black mass sank slowly and part of it remained floating out on the top, disrupting the moonlight, before it sank down again, taking a last bob to the surface. It was as if it knew it would drown forever and it wanted to see the moonlight again before it was released into the murky depths of the lake.

Clutching at the shredded remains of fabric that had detached itself from the underlining of her dress, she looked down at her feet, submerged in icy water, and only now could she cry.

…::…

Author's Note: Being the author that loves to set up a mood for upcoming chapters, as well as a sympathy for a certain character in the story, a hate for another, a feeling of worry for another, I think I should end here. It took me a while to write this because I had to find the right time where I was depressed enough to be able to write with a sad, ghastly, dark, murky atmosphere. Yes, there is more, don't think I'll ever stop updating until I can write "the end". I'm not mean. *grin* Unless you want me to?

Come back next time to see what happens to Hermione – does she get ill? Does someone come see her out by the lake, sitting alone? Who might this someone be? There can be a random amount of people that can go visit her, and being the one that likes to work in very odd twists in the story, what I have up my sleeve might surprise many of you. *evil laugh* Okay, so it won't be surprising, I don't think it will be. No, it won't be Draco Malfoy. *sniff* I can't make this Draco/Hermione… *hugs Draco* Poor guy, he's all alone. I can't believe I wrote a fic so far without pushing him out into being one of the main characters.


	12. It's dawn, the illusions never fade

Author's Note: Not mine. 

…:: Chapter 12::…

The tree branches rustled loudly in the wind, their hollow, dry shell-like surfaces rattling as they brushed upon each other. Hermione felt hollow, just as the raspy sound of the branches was. Her chin quivered and she thought she might cry again, but there was a realization dawning in her that empty tears would give no conciliation. Instead, she tried to think about what to do next. _I hurt Neville's feelings, I bet, dragging him out there like that. What was I thinking? I'm a crazy idiot!_

" Hermione?" 

She turned around, her nostrils flaring angrily. She half-expected to see Ron or Neville standing there, but instead she saw that it was Harry. He didn't appear to be joking around. In fact, he looked dead-serious, and also apologetic. 

" What are you doing here?" Hermione exclaimed angrily. " Shouldn't you be dancing with Cho?"

" I've been so wrong. I'm so sorry." He waded right into the water, up to his knees in the freezing lake. He looked at her, shivering cold, her skin bluish from the reflections the water cast upon her. His eyes were filled with tears and he wrapped his arms around her in a hug. She didn't know what was going on; she stared in a startled way at him from the corner of his eye as he held her close; and then she felt his body quiver. She thought he was laughing – _is this a joke? Did Cho put him up to this?_

Hermione was getting angry, when all of a sudden, she felt Harry's cheek against hers – it was wet with tears. " I'm such an idiot. Will you forgive me?" The whisper in her ears made everything inside of her die away, fall in a startled and faint heap inside her body. Only the feeling of grief and sorrow over the past few days washed over her, anew.

…::…

__

About a half hour earlier

The room froze in shock. Harry felt his heart thudding heavily against his ribcage and he took a step apart from Cho and towards the doorway, where Hermione had just disappeared. _Hermione!_ All anger inside of him had faded away into concern. Over everything, he still felt for her, though it was an angry and misunderstood rebuttal of love, but at least he still held it inside of him. And, above all, she was his best friend since first year. Nothing could tear them apart, not even a pack of wolves. Though all of them had gone through various fights through the years, they had always made up. Right now, his first and only concern was to go outside and help her.

Cho could see the look on his face. She grabbed his sleeve. " Harry, leave her be. She'll just be mean to you again!"

Harry looked at Cho. _Sometimes she seems to know nothing about me._ " I can't just let her - - did you see what just happened? Can you imagine what she must be going through now?"

Neville looked at Harry questioningly. " Well, its not like you didn't hurt her anyway. You chose Cho over her way back, didn't you? At least she was nice enough to still want to go to the dance with me, since I was stuck without a date."

__

Just like the way I offered to take Cho. So Hermione didn't cheat with Neville in any way… but… I was so sure… but why? The only person that seemed to confirm it was Cho. Cho… Harry glanced at Cho in a questioning way.

" Neville, you liar." Cho said, suddenly. She let her chin quiver. " How can you say that? You and Hermione - - you've been seeing each other for so long behind Harry's back!" Her eyes were filling with tears on cue.

Neville's ears burned red. He shook his head and then said: " I wish I could have, but I know Hermione loves Harry. All she did all evening was look at him. Like I said, she felt bad that I didn't have a date, and since Harry decided to take up Cho, she was really nice and asked me to the dance." Neville glared at Harry. " The only thing that _isn't_ clear to me is why you did what you did, Harry."

Harry was taken aback. Cho whispered into his ear: " Harry, let's go sit down. Don't believe his lies."

__

Maybe he's not the only one that lied, Cho. Harry felt foolish. _Why didn't I even check anything? I just took everything Cho said at face value, as if for some reason she knew everything._ _But… but why would she do it? Who's telling the truth?_

Neville put a hand on Harry's shoulder and looked him dead in the eye, all honesty: " Harry, I'm your friend. We've been friends for so long. Listen to me – why did you do it? Why did you hurt Hermione that way? She loves you."

Harry felt limp. " I … I didn't cheat on Hermione! I took Cho to the dance because she didn't have a date… and that was only because Cho told me you and Hermione were going out behind my back." Then, he realized who it was that looked guilty here, like a deer caught in the headlights of a car – first, Hermione had seen him and Cho going to the theater together. Then, they were caught kissing. And now, they ended up going to the dance together. _I was so stupid… and what do I have against Hermione? I never even saw her with Neville, except for what Cho said._

Cho looked furious. " Harry, I can't believe this. Hermione is such a conniver! She must have brainwashed poor Neville." She was dragging Harry to their table.

Harry slapped her hand away. " Stop!"

Cho's eyes released the tears now. They ran down her face. " Why don't you believe me? What have I ever done to you? Look at what Hermione did to you – all she did was make misunderstandings, hurt your feelings!"

Harry shook his head. " Why should I believe you? Why should I believe you over my friends? I didn't really even know you other then from around school, and suddenly you're the authority?" His stomach was hurting. He felt ill and desperate to find out what was going on.

Cho's eyes snapped from Harry's face to Neville's, then she saw Ron approaching them and panicked. She began to blurt out: "I didn't even tell you another thing! She also cheated with Ron, too! On both you and Neville!"

Neville rolled his eyes.

Ron was already by Harry, saying: " Listen, Harry, I think its' time I told you _everything_, starting with what Hermione told me from her point of view, and what you told me from your point of view. Also, I think I should tell you what I pieced together… what Cho did to make you have these misunderstandings."

" WHAT I DID?" Cho shrieked. She jumped at Ron, screaming and crying. " How can you say these things? Harry? Harry, why aren't you saying anything? Your best friend is betraying you!"

Harry's face looked cold as stone. 

Cho felt her insides drop. " This is insane! I didn't do anything! You have to believe me, Harry, you have to!" She banged her fists on his chest angrily, sobbing. 

" Somebody, get Cho out of here for a second. I can't hear myself think." Harry whispered, his cheeks hot and angry. He turned to Ron. " Alright, I think it's time we talk for real…"

Ron's eyes softened. _Harry was finally back, and Cho's claws were finally out of his back and back at her sides, where they belonged._ They sat down at a table and Ron began, finally uninterrupted, finally to his aide. Ron didn't hold anything back – he admitted where Harry faulted and where Hermione made her errors. At the same time though, he made heavy emphasis to the parts where Cho was the leading hand in the events that were taking place.

When he was done, Harry jumped from his seat. The chair fell backwards with a clatter to the floor. He headed for the doorway.

" Harry?" Ron jumped up too.

" I'm going to find her. I can't believe this. I was so stupid!" Harry was jogging now across the room. He burst through the doorway, pushing the heavy doors open and then slamming them behind him. He ran down the dark hallway and to the Hogwarts doors. Just as he opened them, a hand slammed hard against them.

" No!" A voice hissed in his ear.

He turned and saw Cho's face, demonic in the moonlight. Her cheeks were stained with a thousand tears; her hair was a mess, her dress ruffled and messy on her body. Her dark eyes had no compassion, nothing but sheer and pure stubbornness. " I won't let you go to her!" She said, her voice shaking with tears.

" Leave me alone right now, Cho. I can't believe you." Harry said, his voice low. " If you had any sense, you would never speak to me again."

" Harry, listen to me."

He pushed her hand off the doorway and readied to open it.

" Fine, I'll tell you the truth." Cho whispered, frantically. " Ron lied - - I didn't want to just hurt Hermione. He told you that my reasons were to simply break you and Hermione up, that I just hated her and I wanted to make you both miserable. That's not true."

Harry looked away from her. " I don't believe you."

Cho's chin quivered. " Harry, this _is_ the truth this time!"

He was opening the door, walking down the steps, leaving her and her entire wagon of lies, hate, and misconception. Cho shouted after him: " I did it because I love you! I did it because Hermione doesn't deserve you! You deserve a girl that's going to treat you like the perfect boy you are!"

Harry's ears turned hot. He turned back to Cho.

" You might not believe me, Harry, but you were the first boy I ever felt that way about. It … it feels even stronger then for Cedric, I think… it's burning inside me, Harry. And… you were my first kiss. I never kissed Cedric, well, on the cheek maybe, but… yours was the first real one." She was crying again.

Harry felt his stomach ache increase. " Cho, stop it." He whispered.

She was running after him, her hands had wrapped around him in an embrace. " I'm so sorry for what I did, I really am. Please, I'm not a bad person. I … I just didn't want Hermione to have you. I really think you deserve someone better… she doesn't even know how to kiss, I bet. I bet she doesn't know how anything but her books."

" Stop it!" Harry shouted.

" She'll never be good for you! I'll be good for you! I'm perfect for you, don't you get it?" Cho shouted after him.

He turned around and grabbed her, finally, and said, in her face, his voice hard: " I'll never, _ever _respect you again. I just hope you realize that you could have destroyed Hermione."

She pushed her face upwards to his, trying for a kiss, finally grabbing his collar and bringing her lips to his again. Then, she broke away and stepped backwards. " Harry…" She sobbed. " I really am not a bad person, please, believe me. If only you could understand what I was thinking…"

" No, Cho, I don't think you even knew what you were doing." Harry murmured. He looked at her in disgust. " You really need help." His voice wavered. Then, he turned and headed for the lake – he knew that's where Hermione would go. Deep inside, Harry knew Hermione, and he knew something else – he loved her after all, above everything, as it was written by fate. They were destined to be together, and nothing could tear them apart.

__

I'm so sorry, Hermione… I was such a fool… please forgive me… He whispered in his mind, staring at the moon in the sky for guidance. _I hope it isn't too late. I really hope its not too late to get back to where we were before._

…::….

__

Now

Hermione began to cry too. She hugged him and said: " Harry… Harry, Cho lied." She choked back a sob. " Neville… I, I didn't…"

" I know, I know…" He cried, running his hands through her hair, hugging her closer. 

" I'm so sorry." She whispered into his ear.

" No, I'm the one that should be sorry." He pulled away and looked at her. His face was streaked with tears, just like hers. He laughed softly. " Look at you… me too, actually… we're a mess."

She laughed too and then brought him closer. " I just knew you'd come… I felt it inside… I just always knew…" Her voice trailed away. " But why?"

" I'll tell you later… but we have to get you inside before you get sick." Harry said, hurriedly, removing his tuxedo jacket and draping it around her shoulders. He shivered in the bitter winter wind in just a white shirt and slacks. He helped her up and then kissed her, slowly and passionately. The wind whipped around them, bringing Hermione's hair alive, tumbling in the wind and brushing against Harry's face, her eyelashes skimming his forehead as his kisses trailed along her jaw and then up to her lips again.

" I'm so sorry." He whispered, again. Then, the two figures made their way back to Hogwarts again, in a silent agreement that everything would be reconciled, it would all come back to normal again. It wasn't too late at all… it would be just the beginning of a love that would last to the end of their lives.

…::….

Author's Note: Okay, basically Harry took her after that to Madame Pomfrey's in the hospital wing since she got a pretty bad chill from being outside in that freezing water… oh, and there will be one more chapter, sort of an afterthought or epilogue.


	13. I'm wide awake, the perfect sky is dawn.

Author's Note: I don't own Harry Potter…

…:: Epilogue::…

Harry grasped Hermione's hand and turned it over, his finger stumbling over the thin golden band on her ring finger as he traced her palm with it. His eyes moved up her arm, across her shoulder, and their eyes locked. He smiled at her. " You look absolutely amazing." 

" Thanks." She could feel her face burning red. " It is about time that I wore something nice, isn't it?" Her body was shrouded in an elegant floor-length white gown with a sequined bodice. Her hands trembled as she reached for the ring on her hand. " I suppose we'll switch this one to another finger, right?"

Harry nodded, laughing. " Engagement rings come before wedding bands." 

She smiled. " I … I guess we have only a few minutes left before the ceremony. Nervous?"

" Me?" Harry raised his eyebrows, the arches just barely visible over the rim of his glasses. " Why would I be nervous?"

Hermione's voice was a teasing one. " Maybe you're afraid. Cold feet." Her hands tugged at his black collar, since it had folded upwards. He looked good in a black suit, with a crisp white shirt underneath, and a humble tie. " Maybe you wish you chose someone else?"

Harry shook his head, leaning forwards, his forehead resting on hers. " Who would that be?"

" I don't really know." 

Hermione was lying. There was a jaded recollection painted on her face, despite how much she strained on to show it.

" Who?" Harry whispered, his breath warm and scented.

" Remember Cho? Remember how worried I was…?" Hermione said. " What if… we're making a mistake? Maybe fate doesn't intend us to be together… it seemed that each time we tried to get together, something tried to splinter us apart."

" Hermione, don't tell me you're becoming another Professor Trelawney with your fate nonsense. We control our own fates." He smoothened her hair and then moved back. " Can you hear the organ playing? Go find Ron…" Ron was Harry's best man. Ron had taken an interest in helping carry out the Weasley twins' business, while trying out for the minor Quidditch leagues. Though Ron had dated Lavender for some time during the sixth and seventh year, he had remained single.

" I'm so happy." Hermione called after Harry's receding back.

He turned around and blew her a kiss. " I'll be happiest when the wedding's finally done." He was a bit nervous, which made her feel nervous too, but in a good way. She could almost feel the butterfly wings brushing her stomach lining, dancing happily inside of her. _No, it is not a bad feeling at all._

Turning her beaming face at Ron, she said: " It's starting."

…::…

__

A bit more then a year later

The chilled bottle of champagne laid open but not nearly halfway finished in it's little ice bucket. The messily made bedroom had a thin strip of light across it from the slightly undone curtains. The soft hum of the running shower was the only sound perpetrating the peaceful room. A pair of slippers stuck out from under the bed, another pair on the other side. Hermione walked into the room and then undid her bathrobe. She searched through the drawer and then fetched out a dress. 

She had a job as a teacher at Hogwarts, a job that she most appreciated. Her joy for wisdom her whole life could at least pour through to students, so that other children could marvel at the facts she knew. Harry, meanwhile, made it to a high position in the Ministry of Magic.

A lot has changed. Just the day of their graduation, the Wizard War began, and many people died. Harry had been the one to defeat Voldemort after a gruesome battle. Harry still had a hard time speaking about the battle, it had done something terrible to him deep inside, and after it, he had been so shaken he barely slept or ate for a few weeks, just stumbling drunkenly from room to room, his eyes wide with a fear that nobody else saw. Though he had some emotional scars still, he had managed to tackle the main hurdles that were in his way.

Quickly after the wizard wars had been ended, and the followers of Voldemort were nearly exterminated, a few horrible things followed in sharp succession. First, Dumbledore, a guiding leader in the war, had died. The wizard world mourned deeply for him, for without him, the wars would have been lost. Afterwards, Draco Malfoy, the sole survivor from his family after the wars, had attempted suicide. His family had supported Voldemort to the very end, and they had been humiliated, imprisoned, and then a group of radical anti-Voldemort followers had tortured Draco until he nearly went insane. Draco had recovered and had become another prominent figure in the Ministry of Magic, but he became sadly withdrawn and sallow, keeping to himself. Third of all, Neville Longbottom had been badly hurt during the Wizard Wars. Luckily, he recovered somewhat, but he was partially paralyzed – his right arm and leg would never bring him use again.

Despite everything, Harry proposed to Hermione, and their wedding had been heavily celebrated. Hermione dug deeper into the drawer and produced a small baby bottle. She stood and then walked briskly into the kitchenette, pouring some milk into it. Then, she pointed her wand at the bottle and heated it to a nice warmth. Then, she walked to a small bedroom. Bending over a crib, she peered at the small baby in it. Her hands reached out, touching it slowly and bringing it awake.

Two brilliant green eyes, like pieces of precious stone, focused on her face and then a stubby fat hand reached out at her finger and brushed it against hers. The child laughed delightedly as she lifted him up and cradled it to her breast, the nipple of the bottle finding the baby's mouth.

" Hush, little James…" She cooed to it.

The soft pink curtains blew inwards with a gust of summer wind. The peaceful countryside was a beautiful place to hold a home. The smell of country green apple was everywhere, and the home-baked peach pie was also a delectable new scent. 

Buttoning a white shirt up his chest, Harry Potter strolled into the room as well. Giving Hermione and the baby a quick kiss each, he said: " I think it's time to get ready for another day at work at the Ministry. Where's our bag of Floo Powder, again?"

" On the mantle, Harry." Hermione replied, shifting the baby to the other arm.

He smiled. " Have a nice day, Hermione."

Hermione was on leave from work for a few months to tend for the baby. Harry's job at the ministry was enough to support their family for the rest of their life anyway, but Hermione simply loved to teach, and therefore she did it mostly for the pleasure of it, not for any monetary relief.

" I love you." She whispered to the door as he closed it. Hermione then felt a joyous tear roll down her cheek and she wiped it away, but another one fell on the baby's cheek. _I had never been this happy in my whole life. It's as if all my dreams had come true._

For once, I know that fate knew what it was doing after all.

…::…

Author's Note: I retire here, and since school starts Tuesday, I think that it's safe to say I might not write for a while… well, that's not true, I will write, but probably not a Harry Potter story. Since writing for a mainstream fandom like this requires a lot of time and attention, I feel bad that I might not be able to update… so I think that a new Harry Potter story from me cannot be expected for at least 2 weeks from the new school year. I need to adjust to my schedule and homework load and find a good time to be able to write. Above all, I need time to rest. :-) I love all my reviewers ,and I don't want to leave you with waiting.

Here is a list of stories of mine I recommend:

**"Like the Wind" **

This is an original fantasy story I did. I know many of you probably only read HP, but I would _really_ appreciate to see someone read this. It is one of the best things I've ever written. I would also appreciate feedback. I might publish this…

****

2. I will soon publish a new story, it will be called "X-lab" or something, it's a technological story about the future… where genetic and mechanical manipulation creates a breed of people called X-labs, that are born human but with machine parts added to them, making them "Super humans". The government forbade doctors and scientists to make these X-labs though, so instead of stopping, horrible underground labs began. Now, one particular young woman finds herself caught in an intricate web that leads her to the discovery of Devin, an X-lab… and the horror that Devin's life is…


End file.
